The Economics, Business & Enterprise Association (EBEA) is the only independent professional association representing teachers of these subjects. The EBEA’s core mission is to improve the economic and business understanding and capability of learners in schools and colleges. We regard this as vital, not only for their personal and professional life chances, but for the well-being of society locally, nationally, and internationally.
The EBEA submitted evidence to the government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review in November 2024. The EBEA feels very strongly that economics, business and enterprise education have a great deal to contribute to the type of curriculum the review team is seeking to promote. You can read the EBEA’s full submission on the website (www.ebea.org.uk) but in summary:
Just prior to the closure of the call for evidence the chair of the Association of Citizenship Teaching hosted a meeting of representatives from the EBEA, the Royal Economics Society (Discovering Economics) and the Economic Research Council to discuss the submissions to the curriculum and assessment review. There was very close agreement on the key messages, particularly in terms of making economic literacy part of the statutory curriculum for all students. It was pointed out that although economic and financial literacy are related, they are not the same thing (the EBEA supports the case for both being part of the statutory curriculum). We pointed out that there have been numerous attempts over many years to promote economic, business and enterprise education (EBE) (including financial literacy) for all pupils but provision remains very patchy, resulting in many students being disadvantaged. However, just making EBE statutory will not guarantee it is delivered in schools to a consistently high standard.
Following our submission, we were contacted by the Curriculum and Assessment Review team for further discussions. The review reported that “Young people and their parents have been clear that they would like to see more applied knowledge in certain areas, to support young people to be ready for life and work”. When asked which topics KS4 learners and their parents would like to see more of included in the curriculum, finance and budgeting came out top (43% of parents, 34% learners), with creative thinking and problem-solving projects in 3rd place (39% parents, 26% learners) and employment and interview skills in 4th place (36% parents, 32% learners).
Finally, we have been in contact with Oak National Academy which has been commissioned by the DfE to produce financial education resources. We work with the Bank of England and one of the trustees has joined the steering group of the Foundation for Educational Development on financial wellbeing in schools and colleges.
Find out more about EBEA’s work by visiting there page at https://ebea.org.uk/
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