PUPILS from Middlewich High School have been crunching numbers as part of an award-winning community scheme using rugby to teach young people about better money management.

Professional rugby club Sale Sharks sent community coaches to join more than 100 children from Middlewich High School to take part in the free two-day ‘Number Cruncherz’ programme.

Developed for Year 7 and 8 children with the help of Chester-based financial services company MBNA and the UK's leading financial education charity PFEG (Personal Finance Education Group), Number Cruncherz aims to make financial education more memorable using the power of rugby.

The Premiership Rugby side’s community coaches presented at the school’s assembly and put the pupils through some fast-paced touch rugby training for the first day of the scheme.

The following day, the children enjoyed a trip to the Sharks’ AJ Bell Stadium to participate in a range of interactive and fun number and financial literacy lessons.

Mark Evans, a teacher at Middlewich High School, said: “Number Cruncherz has been a hugely positive experience for our Year 8 pupils. The rugby sessions were fantastic, fast paced and really engaging, and it gave our pupils a better understanding of the sport.

“The financial elements of the programme were also really useful to school as they gave the children an understanding of the importance of careful money management, which we hope they’ll take forward for the rest of their lives.”