Relationships, sex and health education guidance

The Department for Education (DfE) has published new relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance.

The statutory guidance will support schools in addressing misogyny and incel culture, violence against women and girls, and related factors. For the first time, secondary school pupils will be taught topics such as how online content can impact a person’s understanding of sexual ethics and behaviour, staying safe in public spaces and positive concepts of femininity and masculinity.

The guidance is statutory from September 2026, though schools can begin teaching it from September 2025 if they choose and it will be reviewed every six years.

Changes to note:

• Primary schools are ‘strongly encouraged’ to teach about same sex parents
• Pupils should be taught the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment
• More content on misogyny, sexual harassment and sexual violence
• Flexibility for primary schools to teach about sexual imagery
• Suicide prevention lessons when pupils are ready
• Deepfakes, gambling and virginity testing information added
• Parents to be consulted and resources shown to them, copyright clauses now null and void.