Financial education & the UK curriculum
If you teach Citizenship, PSHE, Business, Economics or Maths, you already know the tension: financial education is on the curriculum, but the delivery formats students actually retain are hard to build from scratch, and most "money" resources are either a dry PDF or a US product that doesn't map to UK terms. This page sets out exactly where financial education sits in the national curriculum at KS3 and KS4, and how RIP.'s 88 free lessons line up with it — so you can see the fit before you spend a single lesson on it.
Where financial education sits in the curriculum
Financial education has been part of the statutory national curriculum in England for maintained secondary schools since September 2014, delivered mainly through two subjects: Citizenship and Mathematics. The specific content, drawn from the Department for Education's programmes of study, is:
- Citizenship, KS3: the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and a range of financial products and services.
- Citizenship, KS4: wages, taxes, credit, debt, financial risk, and more sophisticated financial products and services, including pensions.
- Mathematics, KS3–KS4: financial mathematics — percentages, and simple and compound interest — applied to real contexts.
The overarching aim in the Citizenship programme is that pupils leave school able to "manage their money well and make sound financial decisions." Following the 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review, this is being expanded, not scaled back: compulsory Citizenship — including financial education — is being extended into primary schools from September 2028, with a revised national curriculum due to be published by spring 2027 and the secondary content modernised to include digital elements such as fraud and scam awareness.
How RIP.'s 88 lessons map to KS3 & KS4
RIP.'s lesson library is organised into seven subjects. Here's how each maps onto the statutory financial-education content above. This is a thematic mapping to help you place the resource — not an accredited scheme of work.
| RIP. subject | Key stage | Curriculum link |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | KS3 & KS4 | Citizenship: functions and uses of money, personal budgeting, money management, debt & credit. Maths: percentages, simple & compound interest. |
| Risk | KS3 & KS4 | Citizenship: managing risk (KS3); financial risk (KS4). Behavioural biases, diversification, drawdowns. |
| Stocks · Bonds · Crypto | KS3 & KS4 | Citizenship: a range of financial products and services (KS4: more sophisticated products). What each asset is and how it behaves. |
| Strategy | KS4 | Citizenship: savings, long-term products, sound financial decisions. Index investing, dollar-cost averaging, time horizons. |
| Analysis | KS4 · enrichment | Supports GCSE Business & Economics: reading and critically evaluating financial information. |
Alongside the lessons there are 700+ quiz questions, so you can use RIP. for retrieval practice or low-stakes assessment as well as delivery. For the underlying concepts in students' own words, the teen investing guide and the Basics lessons are the natural starting points, and Risk maps directly onto the "managing risk" strand.
Running RIP. in your classroom
The point of RIP. isn't the reading — it's the application. Financial-literacy research consistently finds that concepts stick far better when tied to an immediate, visible outcome than when delivered as a textbook chapter. A competitive layer does that engagement work for you.
- Use the lessons as starters or homework mapped to your KS3/KS4 objective for the week.
- Set up a class or school leaderboard so students apply the concept against their peers rather than in isolation.
- Run a recurring "Friday duel" or daily market call — a low-stakes, repeatable ritual on virtual money and real prices.
- Debrief against the curriculum: link each result back to the objective — why diversification cushioned a loss, how compound interest grew a balance, why chasing a hyped stock backfired.
An honest note on access. RIP. is currently an iOS app, so in a mixed-device class not every student will be able to play. The lesson content and discussion still work for everyone; the competitive layer is available to students with an iPhone or iPad. An Android version is on the roadmap.
What RIP. is — and isn't
RIP. is a free educational simulation: virtual money on real market prices, with no real money involved and nothing to risk-assess beyond a normal EdTech suitability check. It is a resource that supports the financial-education strands of the curriculum — it is not a full scheme of work, an accredited qualification, or a replacement for your statutory teaching. As with any classroom tool, it's worth a quick look against your own objectives and safeguarding policy first; the safety and data overview covers what it collects and how the age-gating works. Parents asking about the app can be pointed to our parent's guide.
RIP. is an educational simulation and is not authorised or regulated by the FCA. It does not provide financial advice. This page describes how RIP. relates to the national curriculum; it is not endorsed by the Department for Education or any awarding body.
Bring it to your classroom
88 free lessons and a school leaderboard your students will actually open. Tell us about your school and we'll help you get set up.
RIP. for Schools →Frequently asked questions
Is financial education compulsory in UK secondary schools?
Yes. It has been part of the statutory national curriculum in England for maintained secondary schools since September 2014, taught mainly through Citizenship and Mathematics at KS3 and KS4. After the 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review, compulsory Citizenship — including financial education — is also being extended into primary schools, with first teaching from September 2028.
What financial topics does the KS3 and KS4 curriculum cover?
At KS3, Citizenship covers the functions and uses of money, personal budgeting, money management and a range of financial products and services. At KS4 it extends to wages, taxes, credit, debt, financial risk and more sophisticated products including pensions. Maths covers financial mathematics such as percentages and simple and compound interest.
Is RIP. free for schools?
Yes — the 88 lessons and core features are free. RIP. is an educational simulation using virtual money on real prices, with nothing to license beyond a normal EdTech suitability check. It is currently an iOS app.
Does RIP. replace the statutory curriculum?
No. RIP. is a supporting resource, not a scheme of work or an accredited qualification. It maps to the financial-education content in KS3 and KS4 Citizenship and Maths and lets students apply it, but teachers should assess its fit for their own objectives and cohort.