Huge steps forward for financial education and life skills in schools

Good news for financial education! The government’s curriculum review has placed a strong emphasis on strengthening financial literacy in schools, ensuring students are better prepared for life beyond the classroom. These changes will see financial education become statutory in primary schools and reinforced in secondary, giving teachers a clear framework to equip students with essential money skills. 

Key changes at a glance: 

• Primary: Financial education will be primarily delivered within Citizenship and be statutory. Students will learn about the purpose of money, budgeting, saving, spending, and distinguishing needs from wants. They’ll also explore risks, core financial concepts, responsible practice, and digital tools.
• Secondary: Financial education continues in Citizenship with deeper coverage of budgeting, debt, interest, mortgages, and pensions, alongside real-world applications of maths concepts.
• Maths: Some financial maths will also be delivered in mathematics, but the review is clear that maths is not the first home for financial education in the curriculum. Rather, mathematical concepts relating to financial education should first be introduced in maths before students are exposed to them in other areas (for example, before students learn about compound interest in Citizenship, they should first learn about percentages in mathematics).
• Post-16: While no statutory changes are mandated, the review encourages non-qualification activities to teach financial literacy and work-readiness skills. 

At Young Enterprise, we have been campaigning for many years for financial education to be improved in the national curriculum and to be made statutory at the primary level. We are delighted to see the importance of financial education emphasised by the Department for Education, but this is just the beginning of the journey to ensuring that every young person has the opportunity and access to meaningful financial education. It is essential that the next stage of the review outlines how teachers and school leaders will be supported with training, resources, guidance and time in the curriculum to enable this, and we at YE look forward to working with the teaching community to support. 

Life skills take centre stage 
The review also highlights broader “applied knowledge areas” or life skills, including financial, digital, and media literacy, climate change awareness, oracy, and transferable skills for work and life. We know that the opportunity to apply learning to real-world scenarios can boost students’ engagement with their learning, and even impact attendance and attainment. Applied learning is a key element of our programmes, and we know its something that both students and teachers see the benefits of. 

Next steps for the review 

1. Spring 2026: Further details on content and programmes of study will be announced.
2. Spring 2027: Finalised curriculum published
3. Autumn 2028: The new curriculum will be rolled out in classrooms across England 

Young Enterprise offers a range of programmes and resources to help schools and organisations deliver financial education and life skills effectively. From workshops and training to ready-to-use lesson plans and Quality Marked resources, we’re here to guide teachers every step of the way with all our Young Enterprise Programmes and Services.