Julian Knight MP has taken the lead in calling for reform to the National Curriculum to improve financial education for young people.
He is championing proposals from Martin Lewis, the well-known founder and editor of moneysavingexpert.com, to better integrate personal financial management into maths classes.
As a former personal finance editor for The Independent and the BBC, and author of several books aimed at making financial matters more accessible to the public, Julian understands how simple skills for handling money can make a big difference to people.
He has attended all of the evidence hearings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education, where Lewis made his case.
Financial education is a legal requirement but is at present usually only taught for a few hours here and there. Where it is taught in maths it too often involves simply ‘dressing up’ ordinary maths problems, rather than directly tackling the challenges that we actually face day to day.
Julian supports making it a recognised part of the maths curriculum, alongside abstract areas like algebra and trigonometry. Pupils could then be taught practical, real-life skills for managing their money which will help them throughout their lives.
Commenting on the proposals, Julian said:
“This is a very important campaign, and I’m very pleased to join Martin in taking the lead in calling for real reform. By integrating financial education into maths we can not only impart vital skills to the next generation – we can also help them to appreciate the practical benefits of mathematics.
“As a former consumer journalist myself, I appreciate how important financial literacy truly is. Not only can it save you a great deal of money over the years, but it’s a vital step for young people looking to become independent adults. That so many Britons lack these basic and easily-learned skills costs us billions of pounds, and leave them more vulnerable to scams such as PPI.
“This is a relatively small change which could make a positive difference to millions, and I will fight to make it happen.”