Relationships, Sex and Health Education has been a statutory part of both primary and secondary education in England since 2021.
The updated statutory guidance
(DfE, updated 19 December 2025, effective September 2026) sets out clear expectations for all schools in England:
1. Core curriculum expectations
- Relationships Education is compulsory in all primary schools.
- Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is compulsory in all secondary schools.
- Health Education is compulsory in all state-funded schools (primary & secondary). [gov.uk]
2. Age‑appropriate, evidence‑based teaching
Schools must ensure RSE is age‑appropriate, scientifically accurate, inclusive, and delivered safely, with content sequenced to build knowledge over time. [gov.uk]
3. Parental engagement and transparency
The national guidance emphasises complete transparency. Parents have the legal right to:
- view all RSE materials,
- request withdrawal from sex education (but not from Relationships or Health Education).
[educationh...log.gov.uk]
4. Updated curriculum expectations (following 2024–2025 review)
New content areas include:
- sexual harassment and sexual violence
- suicide prevention
- online safety including deepfakes, scams, drug and knife supply
- dangers of vaping
- menstrual and gynaecological health (e.g., endometriosis, PCOS)
- healthy behaviours during pregnancy and miscarriage
[educationh...log.gov.uk]
Teaching should focus on biological sex and safeguarding‑relevant information.
Inclusivity and Safeguarding
Sex Education Forum's 2025 RSE Poll published
The national survey of 1001 young people aged 16 and 17 years old reveals that satisfaction with their relationships and sex education (RSE) lessons at school has stagnated, despite a steady increase in quality over the last few years
52% of those polled rate their RSE as good or very good - up just 2 percentage points compared to the 2024 poll. The stagnation comes as technological shifts rapidly change the way young people relate to sex and relationships. Sex Education Forum warns that without support for teachers, digital risks could undermine relationships and sex education. The poll found that:
- 72% learnt either nothing at all or some but not enough about deepfakes
- 72% learnt either nothing at all or some but not enough about the law on strangulation and suffocation
- 65% said they learned nothing or some but not enough about skills for ending friendships and relationships
- 53% of respondents learnt either nothing at all or some but not enough about pornography
- 52% learnt either nothing at all or not enough about how to access local sexual health services
- The least embarrassing source of information for relationships and sex education was ‘a friend who you mostly know in person’, followed by artificial intelligence and health professionals.
- Dads or male carers ranked as the most embarrassing, followed by mums or female carers.
- School was chosen as the ‘most helpful’ source of information, ahead of parents and online source
Here's the link to the full report.
What do young people want from SRE?
The needs of your students will always vary but a broad and inclusive curriculum can really support students to make a positive transition from the primary years into the teenage years and into adulthood.
This report from the Sex Education Forum (SEF) summarises research done and offers some insight into what is useful, needed and badly wanted by young people aged 11-25 in the UK.