Relationship and sex education

Since September 2020, Relationships Education, Health Education, and Relationships and Sex Education became compulsory in England. On the 15th July 2025 the Department for Education published updated statutory guidance on Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE).

This replaces the current, 2019 guidance, though schools will have until September 2026 to adapt their curriculum to reflect these updated requirements. You can, however, start following the new guidance sooner if you wish to and are properly prepared.

The new guidance places 'pupil engagement' top of a list of guiding principles, with parent engagement and transparency, 'positivity', and relevance also featuring. This will provide essential foundations for young people growing up in the world today covering emotional regulation, physical and mental health, healthy relationships and safe online habits.

This includes exposure to harmful content including misogynistic attitudes and unhealthy views about relationships. The Guidance aims to “help teachers navigate these changes and support children to develop positive attitudes”.

If you would like any help or support regarding the new guidance you can email kentchft.wholeschoolhealth@nhs.net.

The Kent school health team have a number of narrated webinars and resources to support schools in this process.

High quality RSE should:

• be accurate and factual, covering a comprehensive range of information about sex, relationships, the law and sexual health, in order to support young people to make informed choices
• be positively inclusive in terms of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, culture, age, religion or belief or other life-experiences including HIV status and pregnancy
• support young people to develop the skills needed for healthy and safe relationships including ways to communicate with sexual partners
• promote a critical awareness of the different attitudes and views on sex and relationships within society such as peer norms and how these are portrayed in the media
• provide opportunities for reflection in order to nurture personal values based on mutual respect and care
• make sure children and young people are clearly informed of their rights including how they can access confidential advice and health services within the boundaries of safeguarding;
• be delivered by competent and confident educators;
• take place in a safe environment based on the principle that prejudice, discrimination and bullying are harmful and unacceptable
• be relevant to the needs of children and young people, and actively involve them as participants, advocates and evaluators in developing good quality provision;
• be part of lifelong learning, starting early in childhood and continuing throughout life. It should reflect the age and level of the learner.

Healthy relationships and domestic abuse

Forming healthy, positive relationships helps children and young people feel safe and supported as they grow. Abusive relationships including witnessing domestic abuse, impacts on young people's mental and physical health. They may feel anxious or not free to make their own decisions, they may suffer from low self-esteem and depression, experience headaches or have other ongoing physical health symptoms.

It is important children are taught about healthy relationships from an early age. Knowing how to recognise a healthy relationship, how to maintain healthy boundaries and what the early warning signs of abuse are is vital. It will help them have less chance of staying in unhealthy or abusive relationships throughout childhood and later as an adult.