RSHE guidance: what it requires and how to plan from it

The RSHE statutory guidance is the Department for Education's guidance setting out what schools in England must and should do when teaching relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education. Schools must have regard to it and plan through their own written policy. The revised guidance came into effect on 1 September 2026 (DfE, Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education).

What is the RSHE statutory guidance and who must follow it?

It is statutory guidance from the Department for Education, issued under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 and section 403 of the Education Act 1996 (para 4). DfE states that it applies to all schools in England, from maintained schools and academies to independent schools and alternative provision, and that schools must have regard to it.

The duties come from legislation. The guidance explains that the 2019 Regulations were "made under sections 34 and 35 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017" (para 2; see Children and Social Work Act 2017, section 34). "Have regard" carries weight: DfE says a school departing from parts that state it should or should not do something will need good reasons (para 5).

The guidance is addressed to governors, trustees, proprietors, head teachers, teachers, other staff and school nurses (para 9). The statutory requirements do not apply to sixth form colleges, 16 to 19 academies or further education colleges (para 11). DfE notes that key aspects of RSHE are in scope for Ofsted inspection (para 3). RSHE sits alongside the wider work in our social and emotional wellbeing hub. This article covers England only.

What does the RSHE guidance require at primary and secondary?

DfE's guidance makes relationships education compulsory for primary learners and RSE compulsory for secondary learners. Health education is compulsory in all schools except independent schools, where PSHE continues to be compulsory. Primary sex education is not compulsory but is recommended in years 5 and/or 6. Withdrawal rules differ by phase and cover sex education only.

The content lists are detailed, so check year plans against the text rather than memory. For example, the health content includes "The facts about vaping, including the harms posed to young people", and the secondary RSE list includes "How to counter misinformation". Mapping each statutory topic to a year is the job of a curriculum map. Health education topics also sit near our guide to mental health in schools, which is separate from the statutory text.

What changed in the revised RSHE guidance?

According to DfE's consultation response of 15 July 2025, the final guidance did not introduce age limits on topics, kept a guiding principles section and added new principles, moved material on viewing resources into a separate "Openness with parents" section, and encouraged primary schools to include same-sex parents when teaching about families (DfE consultation response).

Limit of this table: it lists only what DfE's response says. We did not compare the 2019 text line by line, so this is not a complete list of differences. DfE notes the openness section "builds on the content in the 2019 guidance". For a full check, read the current statutory guidance.

From guidance to lesson: how do the five layers connect?

Think of RSHE planning as five layers: DfE's statutory guidance, your school policy, the scheme of work by year, lesson plans and resources, and classroom talk. Each layer should be checked against the one above it. This is a Structural Learning planning aid, not statutory text, and the layer names are ours.

1. Statutory guidance (DfE). Sets duties and expectations. Check which version your documents were written against.
2. School policy. DfE says schools must have an up-to-date written policy, must proactively engage and consult parents when developing and reviewing it, and must publish it on the school website (para 12). Para 14 lists what an RSE policy should set out.
3. Scheme of work by year. Shaped by curriculum design choices. DfE asks schools to cover all statutory topics and sequence teaching so learners are equipped before experiences occur (para 15d).
4. Lesson plans and resources. Schools remain responsible for content when using external organisations, and should check external resources are accurate, age and stage appropriate and unbiased (para 52).
5. Classroom talk and ground rules. Where the plan meets learners; see the teaching section below.

When a topic returns across years with more depth, the logic of a spiral curriculum helps. DfE also expects the lead teacher to work with colleagues in subjects such as citizenship, science, computing and PE so content complements rather than duplicates (para 51). Our guide to developing a social and emotional curriculum covers related planning moves.

What should an RSHE lead check before planning this term?

Start with documents, not lessons. Check that your policy reflects the guidance that came into effect on 1 September 2026, that your scheme of work covers every statutory topic for your phase, and that every resource can be shown to parents. Then confirm the safeguarding route with your designated safeguarding lead.

• Policy date. When was our policy last reviewed, and did that review include consulting parents (paras 12 and 55)?
• Policy contents. Does it cover each point in para 14, including how parents can view materials and how questions about sex education are answered?
• Coverage and sequence. Does our year plan map to every statutory topic for our phase, placed before learners are likely to need it (para 15d)? An intent, implementation and impact review can frame this.
• Access. Does the policy explain how content is made accessible to all learners, including those with SEND (para 14)? See SEND-friendly learning environments.
• Resources. Has every external resource been checked, and could all materials be shown to parents on request (paras 52 and 56)?
• Parents. How do we tell parents what is taught, and in advance where sex education is involved (para 15b)? Our article on parental engagement covers general communication.
• Staff. Do teachers know how confidentiality will work in lessons, in line with school policy (para 54)?

What the checker does not do: it points to a source and a next step. It does not judge whether a policy is lawful or tell you what to teach.

How can teachers handle sensitive RSHE discussion well?

DfE names three approaches for sensitive topics: distancing techniques, ground rules set with the class, and question boxes so learners can raise issues anonymously (para 36). It also describes effective secondary RSE teaching as participative and interactive (para 34). These are general classroom methods; how to respond to any individual learner sits with your school policy.

• Agree ground rules first. Build them with the class and refer back to them. Routines from habits of discussion give a shared structure for turn-taking.
• Use distancing. Discuss scenarios about fictional characters, so talk stays on the idea rather than anyone's own life.
• Structure the talk. Planned questions and clear roles from dialogic pedagogy help learners "discuss and critically evaluate complex relationship scenarios" (para 34). A grounding in oracy supports learners who find this talk hard.
• Give shared vocabulary. Agreed words, as in our piece on language for behaviour and emotions, make discussion more precise.
• Check resources against policy. Confirm each resource fits your planned programme and policy (para 53).

DfE says the curriculum is best delivered as part of a whole school approach supported by other policies, including behaviour and safeguarding policies (para 15g). That links RSHE to your behaviour curriculum and to wellbeing in schools; social and emotional learning is related but separate.

What this article does not cover, and where to go

This article summarises DfE's guidance for planning. It gives no legal, clinical or safeguarding advice and does not advise on any individual learner.

• Exact requirements: the statutory guidance on GOV.UK.
• How your school applies them: your own RSE or relationships education policy.
• Any concern about a learner, including a disclosure: your designated safeguarding lead and safeguarding policy. For orientation, see our teacher's guide to KCSIE.
• Withdrawal in a specific case: your head teacher, with paras 16 to 21 of the guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Can parents withdraw their child from RSHE?

The guidance says parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE (para 16). They do not have that right for relationships education, health education or science content (para 21). Primary and secondary rules differ; read paras 16 to 21 and your school policy.

Is sex education compulsory in primary schools?

No. DfE's guidance says sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, but recommends that primaries teach it in years 5 and/or 6, in line with conception and birth content in the national curriculum for science (para 30). Primary schools should consult parents about the content of anything taught within sex education (para 31).

Does the RSHE guidance apply to academies and independent schools?

Yes, with one difference. The guidance applies to all schools, including academies, free schools and independent schools (paras 7 and 9). Health education is compulsory in all schools except independent schools, where PSHE continues to be compulsory (para 2). Independent schools do not have to have regard to the health education guidance (footnote 5).

Do schools have to show parents RSHE materials?

DfE's guidance says schools should show parents a representative sample of planned resources and ensure parents can view all curriculum materials used to teach RSHE on request (para 56). Copyright affects how materials are shared but "should never be used as a reason to refuse to share them" (para 60).

Did the revised guidance set age limits on topics?

No. A 2024 consultation draft proposed age limits, but DfE's response states that "the Department has decided not to introduce age limits on certain topics". The response is clear that content must be age appropriate, and that schools remain responsible for this while keeping flexibility over when topics are taught.

When did the revised RSHE guidance come into effect?

The revised guidance was published on 15 July 2025 and came into effect on 1 September 2026. DfE's consultation response said the 2019 guidance would remain in force until 31 August 2026, giving schools time to revise curriculums and policies and consult parents. This article reflects pages retrieved on 21 October 2026.

Sources

1. Department for Education (2025, updated 1 September 2026). Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education: statutory guidance, on the GOV.UK page Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education. First published 25 June 2019; revised guidance published 15 July 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
2. Department for Education (15 July 2025). Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education in England: government response. GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
3. UK Parliament (2017). Children and Social Work Act 2017, section 34 (as enacted). legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
4. Department for Education (July 2025). Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education: statutory guidance (PDF). GOV.UK. Paragraph numbers in this article refer to this document. Retrieved 21 October 2026.