Financial education and media literacy given greater priority at KS1 and 2

Citizenship education is to become statutory at key stages 1 and 2 from September 2028 following a recommendation in the final Curriculum and Assessment Review, which has been accepted by the Department for Education (see Government response to the Review).

As expected, the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report does not contain recommendations regarding the content of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) as this has been set out in the new statutory RSHE guidance.

We strongly welcome this decision given Citizenship’s role in improving children and young people’s understanding of democracy, law and climate change. We are also very pleased to see that the new Citizenship curriculum will include aspects of financial education and media literacy that will complement what is already covered in the statutory RSHE guidance and our own Programme of Study for PSHE education.

We have long called for financial education to have a stronger status on the curriculum: to help combat the patchy provision in this area, and ensure children gain an understanding of financial matters from an early age. Likewise, media literacy — including aspects covered via PSHE/RSHE and Citizenship — has never been more important given the complex information environment and prevalence of mis- and dis-information.

Our updated Programme of Study for PSHE education will be published early next year, alongside new model programmes, and these will outline statutory RSHE and broader PSHE education content including that which relates to economic wellbeing and navigating digital technologies. This will focus on the personal aspects in a way that complements the societal aspects best approached through Citizenship — including statutory RSHE content on aspects of financial education such as supporting children and young people to avoid financial exploitation and the risks relating to online gaming, video game monetisation, scams, fraud and other financial harms.

We look forward to working with the Citizenship sector to ensure content in the PSHE education and Citizenship programmes of study complement each other (aligning but not duplicating content), with each subject playing to its strengths.

This will ensure children leave school with a rounded understanding of these crucial issues, better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of adult life.