New RSHE Guidance

The Department for Education issued statutory guidance – Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) on 15 July 2025 under Section 80A of the Education Act 2002 and section 403 of the Education Act 1996; which set out the duties on schools in respect of RSHE.

The statutory guidance is some 47 pages long, and this note serves to highlight the main features of that guidance.

Maintained schools and academies are required to provide a curriculum which is broad and balanced in accordance with Section 78 of the Education Act 2002. Part I of the Schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 requires independent schools, other than academies, to make provision for PSHE (paragraph 2(2)(d)), and to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society (paragraph 2(2)(i). Part 2 of the Schedule requires independent schools (including academies) to meet the standard relating to the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of pupils.

The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019, made under sections 34 and 35 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, make relationships education compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education and relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory for all pupils receiving secondary education. They also make health education compulsory in all schools except independent schools. Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) continues to be compulsory in independent schools. Parents, to include carers, have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.

These subjects are part of the basic school curriculum, which allows schools flexibility in developing their planned programme, integrated within a broad and balanced curriculum. Key aspects of RSHE are in scope for Ofsted inspection, for example, through inspectors’ consideration of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Schools must have regard to the guidance, and where they depart from those parts of the guidance which state that they should (or should not) do something they will need to have good reasons for doing so.

All schools must have an up-to-date written policy for relationships education or, where they teach sex education, for RSE. Schools are required to proactively engage and consult parents when they develop and review their policy, ensuring parents understand that effective RSHE is important for promoting and protecting the wellbeing of all children. Listening and responding to the views of pupils and parents helps to ensure that RSHE meets pupils’ needs and that topics are taught at the right time to support children to build positive relationships and avoid harms before they occur.

The RSE policy should:

• Set out the subject content, how and when it will be taught, and who is responsible for teaching it, including any external providers the school will use.
• Differentiate between relationships and sex education (where sex education is taught), so that parents have clear information. Relationships education doesn’t involve explaining the detail of different forms of sexual activity, but can cover sensitive topics such as sexual violence in order to keep children safe.
• Include information about a parent’s right to request that their child is withdrawn from sex education.
• Explain how content will be made accessible to all pupils, including those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
• Describe how the subject is monitored and evaluated.
• Set out how parents can view curriculum materials.
• Explain how teachers will answer questions about topics in sex education that the school does not cover (in primary) or that relates to sex education from which the child has been withdrawn.
• Explain how the policy has been produced, who approves the policy, and how and when it will be reviewed.

Schools should develop a curriculum with the following key principles in mind:

1. Engagement with pupils. An inclusive and well-sequenced RSHE curriculum should be informed by meaningful engagement with pupils to ensure that the curriculum is relevant and engaging.
2. Engagement and transparency with parents. Schools should engage with parents on the content of RSHE and be transparent with parents about all materials used in RSHE. All materials should be available to parents. Parents have a right to request that their children are withdrawn from sex education (pupils can opt back in from three terms before they turn 16) and schools should ensure parents are aware of sex education content within lessons in advance.
3. Positivity. Schools should focus on building positive attitudes and skills, promoting healthy norms about relationships, including sexual relationships where relevant, and about health, including mental health. Schools should avoid language which might normalise harmful behaviour among young people – for example gendered language which might normalise male violence or stigmatise boys.
4. Careful sequencing. Schools should cover all statutory topics, recognising that young people can start developing healthy behaviour and relationship skills as soon as they start school. Schools should sequence teaching so that pupils are supported and equipped with the knowledge to navigate different experiences in a positive way before they occur, and to prevent harms.
5. Relevant and responsive. Schools should develop the curriculum to be relevant, age and stage appropriate and accessible to pupils in their area, where appropriate working with local partners and other bodies to understand specific local issues and ensure needs are met.
6. Skilled delivery of participative education. The curriculum should be delivered by school staff or, where schools choose to use them, external providers, who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to create a safe and supportive environment and to facilitate participative and interactive education which aims to support and not to alarm pupils. Staff should be trained in safeguarding and offering support, recognising the increased possibility of disclosures.
7. Whole school approach. The curriculum is best delivered as part of a whole school approach to wellbeing and positive relationships, supported by other school policies, including behaviour and safeguarding policies.

Relationships education (Primary)

The focus for primary relationships education should be on teaching the skills and knowledge that form the building blocks of all positive relationships, supporting children from the start of their education to grow into kind, caring adults who have respect for others and know how to keep themselves and others safe.

Primary relationships education should be anchored in an understanding of positive relationships, but should also equip children to keep themselves and others safe, and to recognise and report risks and abuse, including online. This can be delivered by focusing on boundaries, privacy, and children’s rights over their own bodies and personal information. Pupils should be able to recognise emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Even very young children can be equipped to understand what counts as abusive behaviour and to trust their instincts about behaviour that doesn’t “feel right”. In addition, pupils should understand about bullying, and that this can include the use of derogatory terms relating to sex, race, disability or sexual orientation.

Pupils should know how to report concerns and seek advice. While teaching children how to stay safe, including online, teachers should be clear that being a victim of abuse is never the fault of the child.

Sex Education (Primary)

Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, but it is recommended that primaries teach sex education in years 5 and/or 6, in line with content about conception and birth, which forms part of the national curriculum for science. The national curriculum for science includes subject content in related areas, such as the main external body parts, the human body as it grows from birth to old age (including puberty) and reproduction in some plants and animals. Schools may also cover human reproduction in the science curriculum, but where they do so, this should be in line with the factual description of conception in the science curriculum.

Primary schools should consult parents about the content of anything that will be taught within sex education. This process should include offering parents support in talking to their children about sex education and how to link this with what is being taught in school as well as advice about parents’ rights to request withdrawal from sex education.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE): Secondary

RSE in secondary schools should provide a clear progression from primary relationships education. RSE should provide young people with the information they need to develop healthy, safe and nurturing relationships of all kinds. This should include the knowledge they need in later life to keep themselves and others safe, and how to avoid sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.

Effective RSE focuses on respect for oneself and others and does not encourage or normalise early sexual experimentation. By supporting confidence and self-esteem, RSE will enable young people to make their own choices about whether or when to develop safe, fulfilling and healthy sexual relationships, once they reach the age of consent, and to resist pressure to have sex.

Effective teaching should be participative and interactive and give pupils opportunities to develop skills and discuss and critically evaluate complex relationship scenarios.

Health and wellbeing

The aim of teaching about health and wellbeing is to enable pupils to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to understand the links between physical and mental health, to recognise when things are not right in their own health or the health of others and to seek support when needed.

Health and wellbeing: Primary

Health education in primary starts with the benefits and importance of physical activity, good nutrition and sufficient sleep, and supports pupils to develop emotional awareness. Schools should emphasise the relationships between physical health and mental wellbeing, and the benefits of physical activity and time spent outdoors. As in all of RSHE, care should be taken to avoid exposing pupils to concepts which are not appropriate for them.

Health and wellbeing: Secondary

Teaching in secondary should build on primary content, supporting pupils to understand their changing bodies and their feelings, how to protect their own health and wellbeing, and when a physical or mental health issue requires attention.

Secondary schools may also choose to teach about issues which are not listed in the secondary curriculum content. This includes topics such as eating disorders and self-harm. These topics can be taught about in secondary schools in a safe and sensitive way but are specialised areas and schools should use qualified support or advice, ensure that they are using reliable high-quality teaching material, and signpost to external support as needed.

Secondary schools are also now required to consider how to safely address suicide prevention. Many aspects of suicide prevention are addressed through the mental wellbeing curriculum. Starting in primary school, the curriculum includes recognising and talking about emotions, looking after one’s own and others’ wellbeing, being worried about friendships, other relationships, and judging whether feelings or behaviour require support. Teachers should discuss isolation, loneliness and bullying, and how to cope when things go wrong in life. It is also important to ensure pupils understand how to seek help from a trusted adult, including when they are concerned about another person.

Schools should consult mental health professionals and put in place high quality, evidence-based staff training before addressing suicide directly with secondary aged pupils, to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to do this safely. It is important that teachers use language and content that is accurate, straightforward and appropriate to the level of understanding of the class.

The guidance reminds teachers that they should not discuss instructions or methods of self-harm or suicide and avoid using emotive language, videos or images as there is a risk this could signpost pupils towards dangerous ideas and online content of which they may not previously have been aware.

Secondary schools should consider carefully when it is suitable to deliver suicide prevention content, taking into account the age, maturity, and personal experiences of pupils as well as the views of parents and the confidence and skills of teachers, recognising that pupils’ emotional and cognitive maturity to understand this material increases across the early secondary years.

It is also important that schools take a similar approach to addressing eating disorders, ensuring that staff have the knowledge and skills to do this safely.

If teachers have concerns about a specific pupil in relation to eating disorders, self-harm or suicidal ideation or attempts, or a pupil discloses information, they must follow the school’s safeguarding policy and procedures, to include discussing the individual pupil with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

Developing a curriculum, choosing resources and working with external agencies

Schools have significant freedom to implement the guidance in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum.

A school’s curriculum should be in line with the needs of its pupils. Effective, high quality teaching will break down core knowledge and skills into manageable and well sequenced units, including opportunities for pupils to practise skills so that they will be confident to use them in real-life situations. The curriculum should build knowledge and skills sequentially, with regular feedback provided on pupil progress. Lessons should ensure that all pupils are challenged, and assessments should identify where pupils need extra support or intervention.

It is recommended that the lead teacher works closely with colleagues in related curriculum areas to ensure the subjects complement and do not duplicate content covered in national curriculum subjects such as citizenship, science, computing and PE. The lead teacher will want to look for opportunities across other curriculum subjects to reinforce concepts introduced in RSHE, for example discussing misogyny in the context of history or using examples in literature to discuss positive and less positive examples of relationships. Schools always remain responsible for the content and the way in which children are taught.

Schools should be particularly cautious about using resources from organisations that have a broader interest in promoting harmful products, or that have a strong partisan view on a contested topic. Schools are responsible for checking the credentials of any visitor or visiting organisation. Schools should always ask to see materials and a lesson plan in advance, and should seek the views of parents, making sure that all materials can be viewed by parents.

Openness with parents about RSHE materials

Schools should take steps to pro-actively engage parents and make sure they are aware of what is being taught in RSHE. These steps might include:-

• inviting parents into school to discuss the curriculum content and the importance of RSHE for wellbeing and safety,
• inviting them to discuss any concerns, and
• supporting parents in managing conversations with their children about RSHE topics.

Schools should show parents a representative sample of the resources that they plan to use, enabling parents to continue conversations started in class, and should ensure that parents are able to view all curriculum materials used to teach RSHE on request. Parents are not able to veto curriculum content, but schools must consult with parents when developing and reviewing their RSHE policy and it is right that they are able to see what their children are being taught, especially in relation to sensitive topics; schools should respond positively to requests from parents to see material.

When contracting with external providers, schools should not agree to any contractual restrictions on showing parents any content that the school will use. Schools should communicate to providers that they are legally obliged to have regard to the statutory RHSE guidance, including the expectation that all content can be shared with parents.

Where contractual clauses exist that seek to prevent schools sharing any material at all with parents, the guidance says that they are void and unenforceable. This is because they contradict the clear public policy interest of ensuring that parents are aware of what their children are being taught in sex and relationships education.

Governors and Trustees

As well as fulfilling their legal obligations, governing boards and proprietors of academy trusts should also make sure that:

• all pupils make progress in achieving the expected educational outcomes
• teaching is accessible to all pupils with SEND
• curriculum content and teaching materials are aligned with the RHSE statutory guidance
• clear information is provided for parents on the subject content, teaching materials and external providers, and on the right to request that their child is withdrawn from sex education.

Foundation governors of maintained schools and trustees of academy trusts that include schools with a designated religious character will also have wider responsibilities in relation to maintaining and developing the religious ethos of their faith schools.

Teaching about the law

The starting principle should be that applicable law should be taught in a factual way so that pupils are clear about their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Pupils should be made aware of the relevant legal provisions when relevant topics are being taught, including for example those relating to:

• marriage, including forced marriage and civil partnerships
• consent, including the age of consent
• domestic abuse, stalking, rape, sexual offences, female genital mutilation (FGM), ‘virginity testing’ and hymenoplasty
• sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation, including public sexual harassment and harmful sexual behaviour
• the Online Safety Act
• online behaviours including image and information sharing (including sexual imagery, youth-produced sexual imagery, nudes, etc, and including AI-generated sexual imagery and deepfakes). Pupils should understand the law about online sexual harassment and online sexual abuse including grooming and sextortion
• pornography
• abortion
• protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation)
• alcohol, smoking, vaping and nicotine products and illicit drug use
• gambling
• carrying knives and weapons
• extremism/radicalisation
• grooming or exploiting children into criminal activity, which can include gang involvement and county lines drug running
• hate crime
• the age of criminal responsibility
• medical consent, Gillick competence and parental responsibility.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender content

The guidance states that pupils should understand the importance of equality and respect throughout their education. They should learn about all protected characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender reassignment, by the end of their secondary education.

The DfE through the statutory guidance strongly encourage primary schools to teach about healthy loving relationships, and to include same-sex parents along with other family arrangements when discussing families. At secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships, and secondary schools should ensure that this content is integrated into RSHE programmes of study rather than delivered as a standalone unit or lesson. Schools should ensure that they cover all the facts about sexual health, including STIs, in a way that is relevant for all pupils, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or gender questioning.

Pupils should also be taught the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment. This should recognise that people have legal rights by virtue of their biological sex which are different from the rights of those of the opposite sex with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment. Pupils should also be taught to recognise that people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, as with the other protected characteristics, have protection from discrimination and should be treated with respect and dignity.

In teaching this, schools should be mindful that beyond the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment there is significant debate, and they should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.

Schools should avoid language and activities which repeat or enforce gender stereotypes, and should be mindful to avoid any suggestion that social transition is a simple solution to feelings of distress or discomfort.

Schools should encourage young people to consider how to express their views while remaining respectful of the opinions of others, and be clear that bullying or disrespectful language or behaviour is never appropriate.

Religion and belief, including teaching in schools with a religious character

RSHE should be sensitive to the religious background of pupils, and schools must ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010, under which religion or belief are amongst the protected characteristics.

All schools may teach about faith perspectives on these topics. In particular, schools with a religious character may teach their distinctive faith perspective on relationships, and balanced debate may take place about issues that are contentious. For example, the school may wish to reflect on faith teachings about certain topics as well as how their faith institutions may support people in matters of relationships and sex. Schools should be clear when they are delivering content that reflects religious belief.

Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Teaching should be developed to ensure these subjects are accessible for pupils with SEND and prepare pupils for adulthood, as set out in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years. This applies to both mainstream and special schools.

Schools should be aware that pupils with SEND may be more vulnerable than their peers to harmful sexual behaviour, sexual abuse, exploitation and violence, bullying and other issues. RSHE can be particularly important for these pupils, particularly those with social, emotional and mental health needs or learning disabilities.

Addressing sexual harassment and sexual violence

Relationships education has an important role in supporting young people to develop the skills they need to build healthy relationships and grow into kind and respectful adults. From early primary, schools can support young children to develop skills for positive relationships, including skills for navigating boundaries with kindness and respect. Schools can support young children to behave with respect and to understand and identify prejudice. Preventing sexual violence and abusive behaviour starts from this support for children in primary.

Supporting young people to develop the skills they need to build healthy relationships should be part of a whole school approach and underpin schools’ policies, including behaviour and safeguarding, to ensure that an ethos of kindness and respect is evident throughout the school.

Pupils should understand that anyone can be a victim of sexual violence, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or any other protected characteristic, and that the victim is never to blame. It is important to acknowledge that most sexual violence is committed against women and girls, and it often has a gendered component – for example, manifesting an inequality of power between men and women.

Both within and beyond the classroom, staff should be conscious of everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and stereotypes, and should take action to build a culture where prejudice is identified and tackled. Staff have an important role in modelling positive behaviour and avoiding language that might perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Where misogynistic ideas are expressed at school, staff should challenge the ideas, rather than the person expressing them.

It is important for pupils to understand that ethical behaviour in friendships and other relationships goes beyond respecting boundaries and consent, and that strong relationships of all types involve kindness and care. RSE lessons should be clear that all sexual activity should involve kindness, care, attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of the other person and an awareness of the power dynamics that can exist within relationships.