Updated for 2026 RSHE Guidance

Although the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance does not apply to the Early Years Foundation Stage, Early Years settings play a crucial role in laying the foundations for healthy relationships, emotional wellbeing and personal safety. The updated national RSHE guidance for schools (effective September 2026) highlights the need for strong early groundwork so that children can thrive as they progress into primary school.

This page outlines what effective, developmentally appropriate early learning should look like, based on national expectations around safeguarding, emotional literacy and online awareness.

Why Early Years Learning Matters

The updated RSHE guidance makes clear that children need early help to navigate modern risks, including online influences, harmful attitudes, and unsafe situations. EYFS is where children first learn:

• how to express feelings
• how to build friendships
• how to understand boundaries
• how to recognise when something feels wrong
  These are core building blocks for the statutory curriculum they will encounter from Year 1 onwards.

What Effective Early Years Provision Should Include

Even though formal RSHE is not statutory in EYFS, settings should embed the following themes through everyday routines, conversations and play.

1. Positive Relationships & Friendships

Children should learn to:

• build positive friendships based on kindness and turn‑taking
• recognise feelings such as happiness, sadness and worry
• understand that unkind behaviour or exclusion is not acceptable

These foundations support children to recognise healthy and unhealthy behaviours later in primary Relationships Education.

2. Understanding Families and Diversity

Children should experience positive messages about:

• different types of families
• caring relationships
• respect for similarities and differences

This aligns with updated national guidance emphasising inclusive, respectful teaching about family diversity.

3. Early Safeguarding & Feeling Safe

The 2025 RSHE reforms place stronger emphasis on personal safety and early help‑seeking. In the EYFS, this means giving children simple, protective tools such as:

• knowing which adults help keep them safe
• understanding private vs public spaces
• recognising when something feels “not right”
• being confident to say “no” or seek help

These early safety messages prepare children for the new Personal Safety strand introduced into the primary Health Education curriculum.

4. Developing Emotional Literacy

Children should be supported to:

• name and express a widening range of feelings
• understand that feelings change
• notice when someone else is upset
• learn simple strategies for calming down

The updated guidance strengthens expectations around understanding emotions, including early awareness of change, loss and bereavement.

5. Early Online Awareness

While detailed online safety is taught in primary, the updated RSHE guidance stresses the importance of preparing children early for life online.
In the EYFS this can include:

• talking about trusted adults
• discussing screen time in simple terms
• early ideas about asking before taking photos

These concepts help children transition into KS1, where they will learn about online content, safety and privacy in more detail.

6. Learning Correct Vocabulary About the Body (Safeguarding)

The new statutory guidance for primary introduces clarity around teaching the correct names for body parts, including genitalia, as part of safeguarding. EYFS does not require explicit teaching of this content, but settings should:

• use medically accurate language if questions arise
• avoid euphemisms that could confuse children
• answer questions in an age‑appropriate but honest way

This helps reduce stigma and supports early recognition and reporting of concerns.

What This Means for Schools

EYFS provision should align with the broader RSHE approach used across the school. Schools should ensure:

Consistency with whole‑school safeguarding practice

The updated RSHE guidance places safeguarding at the heart of teaching from primary onwards. EYFS must reflect this ethos.

Clear progression into Year 1 Relationships and Health Education

Children should leave Reception with the social, emotional and safety foundations needed for the statutory curriculum.

Parental partnership and transparency

The national guidance reinforces that parents must know what is taught. EYFS settings should communicate openly about how relationships, feelings and safety are explored in early learning.

Summary for Early Years

Even though RSE is not statutory in the Early Years, early learning is critical. High‑quality EYFS provision should:

• promote positive relationships and kindness
• build early emotional literacy
• strengthen early safeguarding (safe/unsafe, trusted adults)
• introduce simple online safety ideas
• acknowledge diverse families
• support children’s confidence to ask for help
• lay clear foundations for primary RSHE from Year 1 onwards

This ensures a smooth, developmentally appropriate pathway into the compulsory RSHE curriculum that begins at Key Stage 1.