Maths, geography, history, physics – every school curriculum covers a range of traditional topics that form the foundation of a child’s education. There is an established structure through which children progress to ever higher standards to achieve qualifications that give them access into the world of working.

But does it really give them the best grounding? And is there enough emphasis on actually preparing them for life in the real world?

There is a strong school of thought that the school curriculum should also contain a number of more life focused courses that will give the kids the knowledge and skills necessary for navigating the real world. In the same way that some life skills such as swimming lessons can actually be life saving, the following life skill suggestions could actually save kids significant time and money as they tentatively progress through into adulthood.

Adapting curriculum for children with special needs

In addition to teaching essential life skills such as financial literacy, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, it’s important that the school curriculum becomes more accommodating to children with special needs, such as dyslexia or autism. These children often face learning difficulties in traditional educational settings, and adapting the curriculum to meet their needs can greatly enhance their learning experience and overall academic success.
By incorporating specialized teaching methods, providing additional support resources, and fostering a more inclusive learning environment, we can ensure that all children, regardless of their individual abilities or disabilities, have equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in school and beyond.

Knowing your numbers – every day financial literacy

Maths, trigonometry, calculus, fractions, arithmetic… while the study of mathematics give a deep understanding on the way in which numbers work, what it doesn’t prepare you for are the checks and balances needed to make life work on a financial level.

When a child receives pocket money, it teaches them the value of that money. If they have to carry out chores around the house to earn that money, they get a deeper understanding of its value. What tends to be left out are other aspects of the ebbs and flows of cash once you hit the job market – tax, national insurance, pensions, ISAs, household bills, good debt vs bad debt, money management. The very foundation of financial health should be instilled in every child from an early age.

Critical thinking and informed debate

With so much information flowing through our hands via our phone screens, it is more important now than ever to encourage our children to think critically about the debates they may be following online. The internet and social media has created an echo chamber in which it is too easy to get lost in a singular ideological vacuum, and without critical thinking and a more open forum these children run the risk of closed group think, which in itself is damaging to the democratic fabric of society.

Within this there also needs to be a concerted effort to open up the conversation around media literacy. Teaching students how to recognize a consistent narrative, understand the infrastructure on which the world’s media stands, and seek out independent verification, and evaluate the messages through unbiased prisms should be a compulsory module at every stage of a student’s life.

Emotional intelligence and building resilience

With rising rates of depression and anxiety among teenagers, never has it been more important to encourage them to recognize and understand emotions. Humans are emotional creatures – good and bad. Accepting that low emotions are a part of the human condition, and learning how to positively process them and come through the other side will give children a much more realistic grip on the reality of life. Compounding that understanding of emotional intelligence year on year will create a generation of hugely resilient kids who have a greater resilience against anxiety and depression.

Conflict resolution and communication skills

As part of that emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and communication skills will teach children to collaborate with other people in a much healthier and more productive manner. Conflict is an unavoidable part of life, and working towards finding a mutually agreeable conclusion is a skill that can be learned. Part of that is emotional intelligence, and another part of this is knowing how best to communicate with different types of people.