The Curriculum is Adding Up: Why Financial Education Belongs at the Heart of the Classroom

For years, campaigners across education and fintech in the UK have called for one simple change: make money count and teach personal finance concepts to children in school.

Earlier this month, the UK government finally answered that call.

Under reforms announced by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP on 4 November 2025, financial literacy will become compulsory from primary school, ensuring every child learns the basics of money, media, and citizenship from an early age.

The government stated that “children and young people will leave school fully equipped to thrive in the modern world of work under reforms to breathe new life into the national curriculum.” It’s a landmark moment and a powerful sign that policymakers are finally recognising what many of us in fintech have long argued: financial education is a life skill.

A Decade in the Making

Back in 2023, GoHenry’s #MakeMoneyCount campaign described financial education as “a life skill – just like swimming – that needs to be taught in all schools from a young age.” At the time, it was only mandatory in secondary schools in England — and even then, not for academies or independents.

That inconsistency left millions of children without structured financial learning. Evidence from the Center for Financial Capability found that children’s money habits are typically formed by age seven, shaping attitudes that persist into adulthood.

Broader studies, including the UK Finance 2024 Financial Education Report, echoed the same message:

“Children’s attitudes towards money are established early in life, often by the age of seven… and these early attitudes significantly influence one’s ability to manage finances in adulthood.”

These data points — reinforced by years of campaigning from charities, teachers, and fintech leaders — laid the groundwork for the reforms we’re now seeing.

Teaching Skills for Life, Not Just Exams

The 2025 curriculum overhaul goes beyond arithmetic. It introduces lessons on “how to spot fake news and identify misinformation and disinformation,” and makes “citizenship compulsory in primary schools… covering media literacy and financial literacy, law and rights, democracy and government, and climate education.”

In short, it’s about preparing children for real life, not just exams. These skills — critical thinking, digital discernment, and financial awareness — are essential for navigating a world where misinformation spreads fast and money decisions are increasingly digital.

As Bridget Phillipson MP put it:

“It has been over a decade since the national curriculum was updated, and it’s more crucial than ever that young people are equipped to face the challenges of today, so they can seize the exciting opportunities that life has to offer.”— Department for Education press release, 4 Nov 2025

Why This Matters — Even for Those Already Out of School

At Moola Money, our focus is on helping millennials and Gen Zs gain financial confidence through personalised, transparent advice. Many of our users are already navigating adult life — managing income, debt, savings, and investments — but never had the benefit of formal financial education growing up.

In Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, nearly half said they don’t feel financially secure, and more than half live paycheck to paycheck. Those findings echo what we see every day: smart, ambitious people struggling with decisions they were never taught to make.

That’s why this curriculum reform feels personal. It may not directly affect our current audience, but it will profoundly shape the financial wellbeing of future generations, ensuring that the next wave of young adults arrives in the workforce better prepared, more confident, and more resilient.

Bridging the Gap: From Classroom to Confidence

Financial education in schools is a crucial first step, but knowledge alone isn’t enough. True financial confidence is built through experience — budgeting, setting goals, and understanding how small changes compound over time.

That’s where tools like Moola Money come in. We help users translate concepts into action — whether it’s refinancing a loan, optimising tax efficiency, or setting long-term goals — with AI-powered recommendations that are explainable and tailored to individual financial journeys.

As GoHenry put it in their campaign, “Delivering effective financial education needs to be a collaborative effort, with government, charities and industry players all playing a part.” We couldn’t agree more.

At Moola, we see this reform as a foundation — one that future-proofs the next generation while reinforcing the importance of lifelong learning for those already managing adult finances.

A Shared Mission

The government’s new curriculum represents more than policy change; it’s a cultural shift towards financial empowerment for all.

If the classroom is where awareness begins, platforms like Moola are where that awareness turns into confidence — helping today’s adults make better decisions, while tomorrow’s adults grow up equipped never to feel lost in the first place.

Financial education starts in school, financial confidence lasts a lifetime.