Financial Education Is Coming to Schools: What It Means for the Next Generation

After years of campaigning, financial education is finally making its way into UK classrooms — a move that could transform how the next generation understands and manages money.

Financial education is finally joining the curriculum — giving every child a fairer start.

Big changes are coming to how children learn about money. For the first time in more than a decade, England’s national curriculum is set for an update — and this time, money is finally on the list. Under the new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, financial education would become a core part of learning from primary school onwards.

If approved, every state school (including academies) will be required to teach key money topics — giving pupils a fairer start in life.

What might be changing 

Here’s what’s being proposed:

• Citizenship lessons made mandatory in primary schools

• Real-world money topics — from budgeting and mortgages to pensions

• Financial numeracy built into maths — so percentages and interest rates actually make sense

These changes aim to help children understand everyday money decisions before they face them as adults.

Financial education is expected to officially become part of the primary school curriculum in England in the 2028/2029 academic year.

Who’s behind it

This milestone follows years of campaigning to make financial literacy part of every child’s education.

Among the key voices:

• Martin Lewis and the MoneySavingExpert.com team, long-time advocates for financial education for all

• Louise Hill and GoHenry, whose tools and research have shown the lifelong impact of early money habits

• Money Ready, a free classroom platform already used by hundreds of UK schools to teach real-world finance

• Young Enterprise’s chief executive, Sarah Porretta

• Recommendations from Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review (November 2025)

Their shared goal: make financial confidence a basic skill, not a privilege.

What young people are saying

GoHenry’s Kids’ Eye View survey of 2,000 UK children aged 6–18 found that 84% want or already have more financial education at school — and rate it as equally or more important than Maths, English or Science.

Among older teens, 68% of 18-year-olds said they were worried about leaving school without any money skills, while over half (52%) of 6–10-year-olds said they’d like to start learning about money in primary school.

When asked what topics they want covered:

• 46% said saving money

• 34% said mortgages and home buying

• 34% said earning money and building a career

• 31% said budgeting and managing a bank account

Those priorities mirror what adults often say they wish they’d learned earlier — practical, everyday money knowledge.

Why it matters

As Martin Lewis put it: “Intention’s not without proper implementation – teacher training, resources and enthusiasm matter.”

Right now, only 1 in 3 primary-school-aged children receive any form of financial education.

GoHenry’s research suggests that effective financial education could add £6.98 billion to the UK economy each year, and help individuals build up to £70,000 more in retirement savings.

Early money confidence doesn’t just shape wallets — it shapes wellbeing.

What children will actually learn

The curriculum could include:

• Budgeting basics: how to plan spending and saving

• Everyday finance: mortgages, rent, pensions and taxes

• Money mindset: how emotions and decisions shape habits

• Digital literacy: safe online payments and avoiding scams

The goal isn’t to turn children into investors — it’s to help them feel at ease with money.

The bigger picture

At Vestpod, we’ve seen how early money conversations change everything.

Financial education shouldn’t begin with your first payslip — it should start when money first becomes real: pocket money, saving for something small, or understanding interest.

This update is long overdue. While there’s still work ahead — training teachers, creating resources, ensuring consistency — it signals that financial wellbeing is finally being taken seriously.

A generation that understands money better can make smarter choices, avoid common pitfalls, and feel more in control.

💡 Ready to build your own money confidence?

Explore our free guides at vestpod.com/start-here to learn the basics of saving, budgeting and investing — because financial education doesn’t stop at school.