Nationwide Building Society says the decision to make financial education a part of the new National Curriculum is “a fantastic development”.

The publication of the new draft National Curriculum for England sees financial education embedded in both mathematics and Citizenship education, making financial capability a statutory part of the curriculum for the first time.

Stephen Uden, Head of Citizenship at Nationwide, said: “This is a fantastic development. By making financial education a part of the National Curriculum, we are making a crucial step towards raising the level of financial literacy in this country.

“At Nationwide, we have always believed that having financial awareness at an early age is an essential skill in its own right and important to developing broader numeracy, which is why we developed Nationwide Education, a resource for teachers and parents, designed to help teach children and young people about important issues including money. So we are delighted that this subject will now be taught to young people in our schools.”

About Nationwide

Nationwide is the world's largest building society as well as the second largest savings provider and a top-three provider of mortgages in the UK. It is also a major provider of current accounts, credit cards, ISAs and personal loans. Nationwide has around 15 million members.

Customers can manage their finances in a branch, on the telephone, internet and post. The Society has around 16,000 employees. Nationwide's head office is in Swindon with administration centres based in Northampton, Bournemouth and Dunfermline. The Society also has a number of call centres across the UK.