Bitcoin Diploma

Bitcoin Diploma: Financial Education for a Bitcoin Era

We were delighted to welcome international lecturer James Dewar MA, ACMA, MSc to Sir John Lawes for our first ever Bitcoin Diploma course.

James, who lectured on the History of Money at Oxford University, led this weekly course for the whole of the winter term.

We were overwhelmed by the positive response from students and parents, and we are hoping to repeat the Diploma again in 2026/27.

All material is open source and has been shared with students.

Motivation was high as the students learnt about the purpose, functions and properties of money, and working in teams to effect practice transactions sing the Wallet of Satoshi. Further independent study was shared and students completed a formative assessment to track their progress towards the Diploma.

The course has attracted interest from other schools, and we were delighted to welcome Claire Chisholm, Headteacher of Lomond School (which accepts Bitcoin as payment) on a visit to see the programme in action. Our students in Years 10–13 have been outstanding in their commitment and weekly study, sitting regular formative tests prior to the end of course assessment.

We are delighted to announce that all 56 students who took part have successfully gained their Bitcoin Diploma, which will be formally awarded at a special ceremony.

Congratulations to everyone!

Awards Ceremony 

We were delighted to welcome Ben Cousens, Chief Strategy Officer at ZBD, who presented Bitcoin Diploma awards to 56 of our students who have passed the Bitcoin Diploma assessment after a term of study. James Dewar, the Bitcoin educator and international lecturer who delivered the Diploma, also helped present the awards. Mr Dewar introduced Mr Cousens who, as our guest speaker, gave a motivational lecture drawing on his own experiences of university, working in media, finance, and the games industry. The Bitcoin Diploma is a globally recognised, open-source financial education programme designed to prepare students for the evolving digital economy. Students then had the opportunity of a Q & A with both speakers, which was both thought-provoking and very appreciated. Mr Cousens’s

message was to “poke life” and take risks where opportunities present themselves.

Students have been very enthusiastic about the Bitcoin Diploma, sharing that “I liked learning about the history of money and why Bitcoin was created.”

“It was interesting because it’s something we don’t normally learn in school. ”

“It teaches you useful real-life information.”

We hope to bring the Bitcoin Diploma back to Sir John Lawes next year!