Our experienced Safeguarding and RSHE Adviser, Jo Perrin – a former pastoral lead – has taken a deep dive into the changes to the updated statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE).

Here’s her expert take on what the new guidance means for schools, teachers, and pupils – and what you can do to prepare…

The Department for Education has released the updated statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) in England, set to be fully implemented by September 2026. This new guidance is the first revision to RSHE since 2019 – and it brings both promising opportunities and potential challenges for schools.

In this area of the curriculum, in order to have content that is relevant for Life in Modern Britain, it is important that the Guidance is refreshed regularly and so upon publication there was a flurry of press releases from education journalists and from the DFE. I have taken my time to read it fully and come to my own conclusions about the changes. 

Overall there are some perhaps pleasant surprises. In 2023 there was a consultation that came out under the previous government relating to proposed changes to the Statutory Guidance. However, the proposed content caused some controversy.   

Age-limits for teaching certain RSHE topics were suggested, but the dates proposed seemed to be quite late in a child’s development from a safeguarding perspective. A topic that caused a lot of discussion in the safeguarding and RSHE world was that what was called “trans ideology” was not to be taught – the worry of course being that young trans people would feel they were not represented in the curriculum of the very subject which is to prepare children for life as adults and a feeling of regression in terms of equality, diversion and inclusion work was growing.   

One of the good aspects of this new guidance is that these areas (alongside a few others) have not appeared in the final version.  Many educators and third sector workers will have breathed a collective sigh of relief at this. I certainly did. 

Schools Now Have More Clarity and More Time

There is also good news in that the changes required in the curriculum do not have to be implemented immediately. There is a period of grace to completely cover the new aspects until September 2026, although schools are encouraged to cover the new content as soon as possible.  

One thing to consider is how to upskill your staff on these new areas, which are often reflected in contextual safeguarding concerns that have increased in prevalence in recent years. There could be more harm than good caused by teaching content early, without a sound staff training programme in place. 

Greater LGBTQ+ Inclusion Across Key Stages 

Equally promising is the change with the challenge many primary colleagues had faced of not feeling they had the backing, in the previous guidance, to talk about same-sex relationships.   

This has been altered and now they are “strongly encouraged” to include these relationships when discussing how families are all different, for example.  At secondary the LGBTQ+ requirements are worded even more positively – that lessons should “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”.   

Even more progressively, when teaching about STIs etc., this should be taught in a way that is relevant to all relationships, heterosexual and all types of LGBTQ+ relationships. 

The issue about gender identity referenced earlier, is a key change for schools to get confident in addressing. The guidance now says pupils should “be taught the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment”.  There is discussion about how the protection against discrimination as a Protected Characteristic in the Equality Act doesn’t give the same rights as laws relating to biological sex, but it is a clear step towards true respect and identity being recognised, despite the statement that still says that schools “should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact”. Again a key point for school leaders is around staff training – would your staff know about how they may demonstrate an unconscious bias in their language? 

Better Safeguarding Alignment – Including Misogyny, Online Abuse and Suicide Prevention 

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the attention there was around the Netflix drama “Adolescence” and subsequent media attention demonstrating the rise in misogynistic viewpoints shared online by so-called influencers and the number of people supporting these views, especially younger males, there is a significant change in the guidance relating to discussion of misogyny.   

This is an issue Labour have said they are focussing on and is to be welcomed as it represents the issues in society for young people today. There is content which discusses how children can look at online content and check the provenance and consider bias and stereotypes, but it goes much further.   

There is new content on financial sexual exploitation, strangulation and suffocation. These are topics that probably haven’t been discussed before in detail if at all. School leaders have the flexibility of when this is taught – as long as by the end of secondary school.   

There is a fairly big consideration for primary schools due to the recognition that children see harmful online images at an increasingly early age.  Primaries may choose to teach about sexually harmful online content, where this is an issue in their school for Upper Key Stage 2 pupils.   

This must be included in the policy if it will be taught year on year, and if it’s taught due to a contextual issue that has occurred (and therefore isn’t in the policy for year on year content) it must be published to parents before the lesson take place.

Having the freedom to contextualise what is taught gives great power to the school to put key and relevant information into the curriculum – but does mean that there may be some parental concern over what is being taught and why as they might not be aware of contextual safeguarding harms. 

For secondary schools there is an understanding of young people’s access to inappropriate content online becoming more mainstream, including access to pornographic images. New content covering raising awareness of suicidal ideation has been included for the first time. This is quite heavily qualified, saying that whilst schools can judge when they introduce the topic, it is to be as soon as pupils are ready, taking into account age and experience of pupils, parent views and the confidence and skills of teachers.   

This raises quite a few questions for SLT and governors in terms of the planned age range, which brings in reminders of the criticisms of the more “wishy washy” 2019 guidance, which left some big decisions up to schools around what content to teach and when.   

However, this is quite relevant for some topics, such as suicide prevention which may be quite contextualised due to specific incidences in the locality. In the same way the topic of eating disorders and self-harm leave some decisions up to the setting and each of these specifies that seeking specialist knowledge and guidance is needed. 

New Topics for a Modern Curriculum 

The draft version had proposed the inclusion of extra topics within the RSHE curriculum, the majority being in the secondary school guidance. These include other topics that have not been part of previous statutory guidance, nor are they topics where there are currently many commercial resources available – which raises an important question about staff upskilling, and I mean staff learning content knowledge but also developing the skills of how to introduce these issues in an empathic and sensitive manner, neither victim-blaming nor using shock tactics.   

Any resources or training need to come from a reputable provider you trust can provide the correct breadth and depth of training needed. As an Adviser working with professionals who educate young people, I believe each of these topics are relevant and timely and the recognition of contextual influences is welcomed.  

The other topics mentioned include: 

• Loneliness 

• Gambling 

• Prevalence of ‘deepfakes’  

• Antimicrobial resistance  

• Healthy behaviours during pregnancy 

• Illegal online behaviours including drug and knife supply 

• Personal safety, including road, railway and water safety  

• Vaping 

• Menstrual and gynaecological health including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), heavy menstrual bleeding  

• Parenting and early years brain development  

• Virginity testing and hymenoplasty  

• Bereavement 

What Schools Should Be Cautious Of 

So what is the less positive news then (as the topics included are a win for those who’ve advocated for more and more safeguarding in the curriculum content for several years)? 

Alongside the new guidance, the results of the Consultation Survey that had run when the previous government’s draft version was released. What the figures show suggests that the new content may not be as popular with all stakeholders as it might be with professionals who deliver the content. 

Many of the questions were a yes/no response – and the percentage split was closer than the Brexit result for several topics included in the questions! 

What that means of course is that whilst the entire content of relationships education is statutory, there were many people concerned enough to fill in the reply who did not agree on the teaching of some aspects.   

This is further consolidated when you look at the demographics of who completed the survey – there were more parents than professionals, which I think demonstrates how concerned some parents are, more than the number who would be interested in changes to potentially any other curriculum area content.  

We really have to hope that the lessons were learnt by some community groups who used the introduction of the statutory guidance in 2019 as a reason to protest about schools’ curriculum content – those protests will not be tolerated. It has to be hoped they don’t reoccur, but we cannot be totally certain. 

What is in our grasp is to approach the new curriculum content in a particular way – to engage with parents early on and to be transparent in not only what will be taught but in the reasons why. 

Here’s a list of things you might consider carefully: 

1. The guidance is clear you have to share your policy with parents. Therefore make your policy include the “what” and the “why”.  Use your safeguarding expertise to give justification for teaching the content (including the skills and attitudes necessary) at the age range you’ve chosen. 
2. In the policy – explain really clearly where you decide relationships education ends and sex education begins. This means you create the limits and define them explicitly. The guidance says you must consult with parents – but consultation isn’t negotiation. Talk to concerned parents to allay fears, but the guidance is statutory and mostly clear at both primary and secondary level – direct parents to the guidance link on your website too. An example of this in the guidance is that talking about sexual violence is relationships education not sex education. 
3. Invest in staff training – be that external CPD from RSHE experts, shadowing other more confident staff members or concentrating on issues in your staff meetings to ensure all staff are aware of things like the contextual safeguarding issues in your school community. There are many points in the guidance that relate to the need for staff to be trained – such as being careful with the language used in order not to promote a victim blaming narrative, or being aware of unconscious bias. 
4. If you divert from what is in policy to cover contextual issues – let parents know in advance. You are allowed to do this and add important topics as they arise, even things like covering sexual online abuse or pornography at primary age, but parents should be given consultation (remember not negotiation!). 
5. You must be prepared to show the resources you are using to parents and even any copyright on commercial resources can’t restrict this (as it’s seen as being in the public interest). 
6. Staff must remain neutral and non-political in any views they convey – they will probably need support in knowing the set school response to certain issues. Healthy debate and discussion is encouraged, but staff must be confident in how to close down any conversations that may be spiralling into more extreme views being conveyed. 

For more in-depth support and the opportunity to ask the experts about any concerns or queries, we are holding an information briefing session and can provide bespoke training for RSHE and safeguarding leads and whole staff training. 

Briefing Session: What the New Statutory RSHE Guidance Means

 Join us for a briefing Session on Thursday 18th September 2025.

Our expert Safeguarding and RSHE Advisers, Jo Perrin and Lucie Welch, will provide their expert take on what the new guidance means for schools and pupils – and what you can do to prepare. We’ll share practical strategies to help you prepare your staff, update policies and resources, and engage parents with confidence – without compromising on statutory requirements. 

Find out more and book your place using the button below, or for more information contact us here.

  About the Author

Jo Perrin - Interim School Support Lead,  Adviser, Services For Education

Jo Perrin is a seasoned Education Adviser with a strong background in safeguarding. She has held key roles as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and pastoral lead in the education sector. Facilitating training to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals working directly with children and young people is her passion.

With a wealth of experience in teaching PSHE and expertise in childhood trauma from her time as a foster carer, Jo is dedicated to supporting organisations that work with children and vulnerable adults on safeguarding issues. She is actively involved in professional safeguarding groups in the West Midlands and is currently collaborating on a research project with colleagues from the University of Birmingham and the NHS focusing on FGM awareness within communities. Jo’s has worked as a West Midlands' Adviser for national PSHE resources, presented at the Sex Education Forum National Members' Event and authored an advertorial for PSM magazine and an article for SEND magazine.

Jo's expertise extends to training on topics such as Safer Recruitment and Mental Health at Work. She is also a facilitator for the nationally recognised NPQSL qualification, supporting senior leaders in education. Her contributions to publications and development of resources for RSE provision have been well-received by schools nationally and internationally.

With her extensive experience and dedication to professional development, Jo Perrin is a highly respected figure in the field of education. Her guidance on safeguarding, mental health awareness, personal development, and relationships education is highly valued within the industry.