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Right Choice

Revised RSHE statutory guidance published today

Tuesday 15th July 2025

The Department for Education has now published the revised Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, including the government’s response to the public consultation.

Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education - GOV.UK

Review of the RSHE statutory guidance - GOV.UK

The revised guidance includes:

  • A dedicated section on addressing sexual harassment and sexual violence, with significant new content to position RSHE as key to the prevention of violence against women and girls.  This includes a focus on building relationships skills from the start of primary. The content on staying safe online has been comprehensively updated to cover the risks around exposure to pornography and misogynistic influencers, and a range of other related risks that face young people.
  • New content on teaching about suicide prevention, making it clear that schools should have a plan for addressing it safely with secondary school pupils including ensuring that staff have the knowledge and skills to do this safely before addressing suicide prevention directly with pupils.
  • The section on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender content has been updated to be clear that primary schools are encouraged to include same sex parents when talking about different types of families. It is also clear upfront about the difference in rights based on sex and gender reassignment, to reflect the Supreme Court ruling on the interpretation of the Equality Act in the For Women Scotland case. It acknowledges that beyond the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment there is significant debate, and schools should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact. The guidance is also clear about the need to avoid language and activities which repeat or enforce gender stereotypes, which is in line with the conclusions of the Cass Review (2024).

The DfE will be writing to schools, to let them know that the guidance has been published and that changes are expected to implemented from September 2026.

Wiltshire schools will get a chance to discuss this guidance at the next PSHE and Healthy Schools network meeting on 16th September 2025