Relationships, Sex and Health Education has been a statutory part of both primary and secondary education in England since 2021.
The guidance was updated in 2021 for secondary schools and is constantly evolving, updating, and adapting to the changing needs of schools, students and society. Managing relationships in a digital world is a new challenge facing many young people these days, meaning that as educators, we need to make sure we support and prepare young people for adult life as well as possible.
The aim of RSE is to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. It should enable them to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what makes a good friend, a good colleague and a successful marriage or other type of committed relationship.
It should also cover contraception, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex (and not applying pressure). It should teach what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in relationships.
This will help pupils understand the positive effects that good relationships have on their mental wellbeing, identify when relationships are not right and understand how such situations can be managed. This resource will outline a range of links, strategies, ideas, resources (local and national) and try to help Torbay educators to navigate what can be a taboo issue at times.
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.