New RSHE Curriculum Changes 2025 (for September 2026)

A Clearer Picture? What’s Changing in RSHE (2025 – for 2026)

The Department for Education has published updated RSHE guidance to replace the 2019 version. While it doesn’t become statutory until September 2026, schools can start reviewing and adapting their approach from now if they feel ready.

There’s been a lot of attention on the changes - and not all of it helpful. But if you’re already delivering RSHE that’s rooted in safeguarding, pupil voice, and age-appropriate delivery, most of what’s in the new guidance will feel familiar.

We’ve broken down the changes to show what applies across all schools and where the biggest differences are for Primary and Secondary. For an at-a-glance summary, check out our handy RSHE Changes PDF - designed to make this even easier to digest.

What’s changed for all schools?

At its core, this update isn’t about rewriting RSHE - it’s about adding structure and support. There’s a greater emphasis on clarity, consistency, and giving teachers confidence to deliver complex content well. Our team have been pleasantly surprised by the changes and are glad to see greater emphasis put on specific topics that caregivers and educators already know are vital for young people to learn about.

Schools will be expected to:

• Review how they ensure age-appropriate delivery, especially for sensitive topics
• Continue to make sure parents can view all RSHE materials - including anything from third parties (as the majority of schools already do)
• Create safe, balanced classroom spaces without relying on shock tactics
• Prepare for RSHE to be part of Ofsted inspections
• Keep an eye out for the model RSHE curriculum, due by the end of 2025

For many, this will be a matter of refining what’s already in place rather than starting from scratch.

Primary: Supporting safe, sensitive learning from the start

The updated guidance for Primary builds on familiar themes like emotional wellbeing, family relationships, and understanding our bodies - but introduces some clearer expectations.

There’s now specific language around teaching puberty and reproduction according to biological sex, and a firmer stance on gender identity: it doesn’t need to be taught, and if it is, it must be factual and age-appropriate. Personal safety is now more clearly defined too, including roads, railways, water safety and public spaces.

You’ll also find more guidance on how to support pupils’ mental health - including recognising grief and loneliness without presenting them as signs of illness. Sex education remains ‘optional’ in Primary, but clearer links to the science curriculum are encouraged and it remains recommended.

What this means for teachers:

• Chances are, you’re already covering much of this - but it’s worth reviewing how and when topics are taught, checking resources for clarity and tone, and making sure it’s easy for parents to access what you use in class.

Secondary: Greater clarity on what’s already being done

In Secondary, the new guidance puts structure around topics many of you are already tackling - including pornography, consent, coercion, and online harm.

There are now minimum year group thresholds for certain content (e.g. STIs and pornography from Year 9, coercion from Year 7), and explicit expectations to cover issues like misogyny, online influencers, and toxic subcultures. The risks of deepfakes and AI manipulation are also included, along with sexual behaviours like image-based abuse and strangulation.

The section on mental health has been expanded to include grief, loss, and the importance of normalising some adolescent experiences. As in Primary, teachers are encouraged to use their judgement, deliver content safely, and avoid over‑medicalising students’ emotions i.e. treating everyday feelings as though they are mental illness.

What this means for teachers:

• You’ve likely covered much of this already - but it’s worth checking your curriculum maps, reviewing the sequencing of sensitive topics, and making sure materials can be shared openly with parents.

What’s next?

You’ve got time. The updated guidance won’t be statutory until September 2026 - and further support, including the model curriculum, is on the way.

In the meantime:

• Review your RSHE curriculum for clarity and timing
• Make sure your parent comms are transparent and accessible
• Hold off on major changes until more guidance is released

You know your pupils. You know what works. You’ve got this.

The elephant in the room

Let’s be honest - when the draft RSHE guidance first hit the headlines in July 2024, the coverage was everywhere. Strong opinions, bold claims, and plenty of politics. Now that the updated guidance is here, it’s understandable that some parents might expect sweeping changes.

But the reality is a little more measured. The final version is more about clarity and safeguarding than complete overhaul - and many of the expectations will already feel familiar to schools.

If you’re looking for a parent-friendly summary of what’s actually changed, the Department for Education has created a clear explainer: