From September 2028, primary schools in England will be required to teach Citizenship at Key Stages 1 and 2 — and financial education will be part of it. The final revised curriculum is due by spring 2027, which leaves roughly four terms between publication and first teaching.
That’s enough time if you start early, and very little if you don’t. This guide is for headteachers, curriculum leads and PSHE or Citizenship coordinators who want to be ready, not rushed.
What we know so far
The detailed programme of study hasn’t been published, but the government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review and commentary from Young Enterprise point to primary content covering:
- The purpose of money — what it is and what it’s for.
- Budgeting, saving and spending — planning and making choices.
- Needs and wants — distinguishing the two.
- Risk and digital tools — core financial concepts and responsible practice.
Secondary schools will then build on this with more complex material, particularly around digital money, fraud and scams. Getting the primary foundations right matters for everything that comes after.
The timeline at a glance
| When | What to focus on |
|---|---|
| Now (2026–27) | Audit current provision, name a lead, read existing guidance, pilot something small |
| Spring 2027 | Revised curriculum published — gap analysis, sequencing, choosing resources |
| 2027–28 | Staff training, sensitive-topics guidance, plans for involving families |
| September 2028 | First statutory teaching |
Dates from the Department for Education’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Now: this school year (2026–27)
Audit what you already do
Most primary schools teach more about money than they realise: coins and change in maths, enterprise days, PSHE sessions, charity fundraising. Map it by year group. You’ll likely find strong pockets and big gaps — often in the upper years, where needs and wants, saving and borrowing belong.
Name a lead
Someone needs to own this before 2027, ideally whoever will lead Citizenship. It doesn’t need to be a finance enthusiast — just someone organised who can bring colleagues along.
Read the existing guidance
The Money and Pensions Service publishes guidance for schools in England linking financial education to the current curriculum. Young Enterprise’s Financial Education Planning Frameworks set out what pupils should learn at each stage, and are the best predictor of what the new curriculum will expect.
Try something small
Talk Money Week runs from 2 to 6 November 2026, and the Money and Pensions Service provides a toolkit for schools. It’s an easy, low-risk way to pilot a few lessons and hear how pupils respond.
Spring 2027: when the curriculum is published
Compare it against your audit
Your gap analysis becomes your plan.
Plan for sequence, not a scattering
Money concepts build on each other. Children can’t make sense of interest until they understand saving, or of borrowing until they understand value. A coherent sequence across Key Stage 2 will do far more than one-off themed weeks.
Choose resources carefully
Financial education is unregulated, and there is a lot of free material of varying quality — some of it produced by companies selling financial products.
The Financial Education Quality Mark, awarded by Young Enterprise, is the UK’s only accreditation for financial education resources — a sensible first filter when choosing what to teach with.
Before September 2028: staff confidence
The biggest barrier is rarely the curriculum itself. It’s teachers who don’t feel confident talking about money — often because nobody taught them either. That’s understandable, and it’s fixable.
- Train before, not during. Build in time for CPD before first teaching.
- Agree how to handle sensitive moments. Some pupils live in households under real financial pressure, and lessons about budgets and bills can land hard.
- Plan how to involve families. Children learn most about money at home, and parents are often keen for guidance.
A quick checklist
- Lead named and given time
- Current provision mapped by year group
- A pilot run — Talk Money Week is ideal
- Gap analysis completed once the curriculum is published
- Quality-assured resources chosen
- Staff training scheduled before September 2028
- A plan for involving parents
How Smartmonies can help
Our ten-lesson Key Stage 2 programme holds the Financial Education Quality Mark and is taught in a deliberate order, from what money is through to the cost of living. Schools can run it three ways:
- We teach it — delivered by our qualified teachers.
- You teach it — delivered by your own staff.
- They play it — worked through digitally by pupils.
If you’d like to pilot it this year, ahead of the new curriculum, see how we work with schools or get in touch — a real person will reply, usually within one working day.
Sharing this with parents? Our parent-friendly explainer covers what the change means for their child.
Sources: GOV.UK; Young Enterprise; Money and Pensions Service.