What the new RSHE update means for financial education in schools

Emma Mahon - JFF Financial Education Team

In July, the Department for Education updated the RSHE guidance for schools. For the first time, the guidance makes explicit that children should be taught about:

“The risks relating to online gaming, video game monetisation, scams, fraud and other financial harms, and that gaming can become addictive.”

This change reflects what many teachers have already seen in their classrooms — that children’s online worlds are filled with financial risks as well as social ones. It also aligns with the expectations of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 (KCSIE), which continues to highlight online exploitation and financial harms as key safeguarding issues for schools.

So, what does this mean for teachers? Emma, passionate member of Just Finance Foundation’s delivery team and an experienced PSHE educator, shares her perspective.

“At Just Finance Foundation we warmly welcomed the news that the updated RSHE guidance released in July included ‘financial harms’ as being part of the statutory content for primary schools to cover. It has felt like somewhat of a victory after petitioning government insight groups and MPs over the years with the belief that financial understanding has a profound effect on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. We do, however, lament that in an increasingly screen-based, fast paced society, children must be educated on protective financial behaviours earlier and earlier.

Our ready-to-use financial education resources can take one more pressure off your desk and answer the question, ‘But where do we start?’. With pupils tackling topics like ‘Wants and Needs’ and ‘Risky Behaviours’, they begin to develop an armour of knowledge equipping them against financial exploitation. Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society and we know that educating children on making wise financial decisions can only further safeguard them from future ‘financial harms’ in a world which is often demanding them to make rash, impulsive decisions before they even know what they are doing.

SEN children are even more vulnerable at being exploited by online platforms and sadly in person too, which makes it all the more prevalent to get the topic of financial education into as many classrooms as possible. Allowing children to have a safe space to discuss financial behaviours and further encouraging them to speak to their trusted adults about finances also equips schools to meet the expectations listed in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

With children’s financial habits forming from as early as three years old, it’s no surprise that we know education is the most powerful way to further safeguard our children from scary and exploitative behaviours. Appropriate for children aged four years and up, our resources address the topic of finance in a relevant, fun, proactive and informative way – making weighty topics accessible. This can only help teachers’ handling of sensitive conversations around finances and get the right information to pupils, so they are ready to take their place in society filled with confidence and most importantly – safely.”

Why it matters

The RSHE update is a recognition that financial education is not an “optional extra” but a safeguarding priority. Teachers are often on the front line of protecting pupils from online exploitation, and this change gives schools a clear mandate to address financial risks in age-appropriate ways.

At JFF, our team of experts like Emma are committed to supporting teachers with resources, training, and guidance that make difficult topics easier to teach. By embedding financial education in safeguarding, schools can help every child grow in confidence, resilience, and safety in a fast-changing financial world.

Book a call with Emma today and find out how the LifeSavers programme supports this new RHSE update.