2019 findings

• After five years of inclusion on the national curriculum, there are still significant gaps in how, and when, students get access to financial education.
• Today, 64% of students say they have access to financial education compared to only 29% in 2015. That’s a big difference.
• However, most are taught financial education as part of other subjects and the majority don’t receive financial education regularly.
  • Only 18% had access within the last month
  • 16% in the last term
  • 17% in the last year
  • 15% more than a year ago
• The numbers who say they get most of their financial knowledge and understanding outside of school – from their parents and/or self-learned online – remain high (86%).
• It is significant therefore that the majority also say they would like to learn more in school (82%) and regularly worry about money and their personal finances (69%).
• When asked how they would like to learn more about money, 60% would prefer to learn this as a separate subject.
• Learning more about financial products such as mortgages and credit cards, tax, budgeting and debt management are their top priorities.

Our comments

Catherine Winter, our MD of Financial Education and Community Outreach says:

“Our scorecard has been marked, and there are no A*s for financial education in schools – far from it. The evidence shows that the current approach is just not adding up. It’s time to give this subject the attention, and lesson time, it deserves.

“After five years of financial education being in the national curriculum 69% of students still regularly worry about money and most (82%) want to learn more about money in school – in particular, on the practicalities.

“Unless something changes soon, we risk failing yet another generation and negatively impacting society for generations to come.

“Financial education should be included in the Ofsted Framework – effectively making it compulsory – and ideally taught as a standalone subject. However it’s delivered, it needs to have dedicated, regular, classroom time, with clearer guidance for teachers on what they need to cover.”

• We are the only specialist provider of personal finance qualifications at GCSE and A Level, helping young people to develop vital money management skills for life.

 
Find out more about our financial education qualifications