Financial education in schools

Financial education prepares students to understand and manage their incomes as adults, and enhances their financial wellbeing.

Research shows that:

• less than half of children and young people aged 7 to 17 get a meaningful financial education at home or at school (according to our 2022 survey)
• more than one in five young people aged 14 to 17 feel anxious when thinking about money (according to our 2022 survey)
• only around 1% of UK teachers have received financial education training (according to our 2024 report).

Talk Money Week (2-6 November 2026) is an opportunity for schools to get involved with events and activities across the UK. The aim is to help people have more open conversations about their money, including in education settings.

The Talk Money Week toolkit for schools includes information and resources to help you promote the financial wellbeing of your pupils and students during Talk Money Week and beyond.

MaPS guidance for schools highlights the links between financial education and the curriculum, sets out how schools can improve the financial education they deliver, and signposts to services and resources that can help. 

• Read the guidance for schools in England.
• Read the guidance for schools in Scotland.
• Read the guidance for schools in Northern Ireland.
• Read the guidance for schools in Wales.

The Financial Education Planning FrameworksOpens in a new window, endorsed by MaPS, set out the key areas of money knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to children and young people, helping schools plan, deliver and monitor progression. They are available in English and Welsh.  

We fund Young Money’s Financial Education Quality MarkOpens in a new window to help teachers find effective resources.

Co-funded with Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis, Young Money’s financial education textbook has been designed for use with young people aged 14–16. It covers topics including spending and saving, borrowing, debt, insurance, student finance and future planning.

There are textbooks for each of the UK’s four nations, along with an accompanying teacher’s guide. Learn more and download free copies of the textbookOpens in a new window.

Financial education can be taught as its own subject or used to enhance others. It can bring maths to life with examples relevant to students’ lives, or can be incorporated into personal development, health and wellbeing and citizenship topics.

Here are our top tips for embedding financial education in the classroom.

• Start early: Evidence tells us that children’s attitudes about money are well developed by the age of seven. So, incorporate learning about the world of money into your teaching from pre-school upwards.
• Put learning into practice: Providing pupils with a combination of in-class and experiential learning has been shown to be most effective. You could organise a school savings bank, support groups of students to open bank accounts or give children the opportunity to manage a budget.
• Make the most of everyday events: Financial education can be particularly effective if it coincides with an opportunity for the young person to put it into practice. For example, more detailed learning about banks and saving could coincide with students approaching the age of 11 when they can open an account.
• Involve parents and carers: As in other areas of learning, school-based financial education will be most successful when parents are engaged too. Invite parents to get involved in financial learning activities, or encourage students and parents to develop their learning together at home.