Here is a link to the current Guidance.

Here is a link to the new Guidance for introduction 1 Sept 2026.

There are many interwoven elements that come together in this subject. There are benefits of comprehensive RSHE for improving safeguarding, sexual health outcomes, LGBT inclusion, engaging with boys and young men for better mental health and tackling violence against women and girls.

If you’d like to find out more about what RSHE aims to achieve and how it reduces harm, you are encouraged to look at this Sex Education Forum document. 

If you’d like to find out more about young people’s views on this subject you are encouraged to look at this NSPCC document. 

This recent Children’s Commissioner report contains recent data that is also relevant to this subject. 

The 2025 Guidance also has some clear expectations regarding external organisations.

‘Working with external organisations can enhance delivery of these subjects, bringing in specialist knowledge and different ways of engaging with young people, but schools always remain responsible for the content and the way in which children are taught. Schools should check that external resources are accurate, age and stage appropriate and unbiased. Schools should be particularly cautious about using resources from organisations that have a broader interest in promoting harmful products (e.g. cigarettes and alcohol) or that have a strong partisan view on a contested topic. Schools are responsible for checking the credentials of any visitor or visiting organisation. Schools should ask to see materials and a lesson plan in advance, and should seek the views of parents, making sure that all materials can be viewed by parents (see the section on openness with parents below).’

RSHE is a complex and at times challenging subject that is constantly evolving. Specialist outside speakers can bring experience and expertise to some of these sensitive areas. It is important that we are not seen as a replacement for your RSHE delivery, we are working WITH schools to deliver these sessions. We are not delivering this work INSTEAD of your lessons. Our role is to complement and support the RSHE work you and your colleagues are already doing. It is vital that our sessions are planned as part of your existing programme of study. The work we do with your students, teachers and parents will have the most impact if these sessions are joined up.

• Teachers need to feel trained and able to tackle these subjects too.
• Parents need to be onboard with proposed content and know what is being covered when and by whom.
• Student sessions must be carefully planned and delivered within a scheme of work, topic or project. It is vital that we know what has already been delivered in the area and how the session is going to be followed up.

The Sex Education Forum has produced this useful document to help schools consider how external organisations can best contribute to RSHE. 

We would urge all schools to read this thoroughly before booking any external RSHE organisation.

We would like to draw you attention to this check list:

• Does the input enhance learning and have a clear place in the curriculum?
• Is the school taking lead responsibility for teaching and learning?
• Does the input support the capacity of schools to deliver good quality RSE, for example, by contributing to the professional development of teachers?
• Are there opportunities for external organisations to work directly with parents and carers?
• Would the skills of external agencies be best used in a different way, for example, either working with small groups of children and young people or one to one?
• Is there time to discuss and plan the external organisation input together in advance, including how the needs of specific pupils will be met?
• Has the visitor seen and discussed the school RSE policy including awareness of how the school defines sex education?
• Does the input from the visitor comply with the Equality Act 2010, particularly the requirement not to subject any child to discrimination in terms of the way in which the curriculum is delivered?
• Does the input from the visitor contribute to providing a balanced and broadly – based curriculum – which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life? (Education Act 2002)
• Is there mutual understanding that the school is responsible for the curriculum, with teachers recognising that they must uphold the Teachers’ Standards?
• Has the visitor seen and agreed to adhere to the school safeguarding, confidentiality and photography/recording policies?
• Is there evidence that the visitor has had the appropriate DBS check?
• Can the visitor share their own safeguarding and confidentiality policies?
• Do pupils have an opportunity to evaluate input from external visitors?
• Are there opportunities to review the input of external organisations; and for the findings to inform future plans?

We have a designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), a safeguarding policy and record keeping procedures are in place. 

The It Happens Education team are all enhanced DBS checked and registered with the update service. It is compulsory for all speakers to complete Child Safeguarding training (Level 2) with regular updates. We follow guidance from KCSIE. Should a disclosure be made, we would follow your school’s safeguarding procedure and refer this to your Designated Safeguarding Lead to be dealt with in the usual way.

Yes. We have processes and procedures in place to liaise closely with teachers about all content before delivering any sessions. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss this in more detail.

The 2025 RSHE Guidance has updated and clear expectations about openness and engagement with parents including enabling parents to continue conversations started in class and supporting parents in managing conversations with their children about RSHE topics.

In the meantime, Statutory Guidance 2020 says that ‘Schools must consult parents in developing and reviewing their policy. Schools should ensure that the policy meets the needs of pupils and parents and reflects the community they serve.’ Statutory Guidance 2020. 

Please be reassured that we can support this important work with parents – please get in touch to find out more. 

Yes, we are open with parents, carers and guardians about the content of our RSHE sessions. There are many options and we trust that our schools will use their discretion to decide how best to facilitate this. Whilst parents are not able to veto curriculum content, it is vital that they are consulted, encouraged to engage with the topics and carry on these conversations at home.   

Currently parents have the right to withdraw their child from the ‘Sex Education’ element of RSHE, but not from the Health or Relationships elements. Parents cannot withdraw their child from National Curriculum Science. There is a slightly different process for the family & school to follow if the student is within 3 terms of their 16th birthday.

The right to request withdrawal is clear in the 2025 RSHE Guidance:

‘Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.

Before granting any request for withdrawal of a child from sex education, it is good practice for the head teacher to discuss the request with parents, and the child if appropriate, to understand the request and to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum. This is likely to include discussing the benefits of sex education, and any detrimental effects of withdrawal, including social and emotional impacts on the child, and the likelihood that the child will hear their peers’ version of what was said in class, which may not be accurate. Schools will want to document this process to ensure a record is kept.

Where primary schools provide sex education, head teachers must automatically grant a request to withdraw a pupil from it, other than content that is taught as part of the science curriculum. In secondary, head teachers can refuse a request in exceptional circumstances, for example because of safeguarding concerns or a pupil’s specific vulnerability.

From three terms before the pupil turns 16, a pupil can choose to opt back into sex education even if their parent has requested withdrawal. For example, if a pupil turns 16 during the autumn term, the pupil can opt back into sex education at any time after the start of the previous autumn term. Schools should ensure that pupils know they have this option.

If a pupil is withdrawn from sex education, it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that the pupil receives appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal. 

Parents do not have the right to withdraw their pupils from relationships and health education, nor can they be withdrawn from topics taught as part of the science curriculum, including science topics related to puberty or sexual reproduction.’

Each school we work with will have a policy regarding their own definitions of topics (for further advice see Sex Education Forum definitions here) It is the schools’ responsibility to inform parents about the lessons that are planned.

Our sessions typically incorporate a mixture of elements of the Sex, Relationships and Health Education topics. We share the student survey data and insist that the school reviews slides/clips beforehand. Teachers are then able to make an informed decision about whether the work falls under a Relationship or Sex or Health lessons and can communicate with parents accordingly.

Additionally, the 2025 Guidance includes a discussion of the fact that RSHE often addresses these topics in an integrated way and teaching should prioritise effective delivery of the content.

These challenging topics cannot be resolved in a one off session. Our spiral curriculum includes the building blocks for all students to understand the importance of respect, gender stereotypes, equality, healthy relationships, critical thinking and consent culture. This starts with our youngest students and weaves its way through all of our content, including work with teachers & parents. It is only with everyone in the school community modelling protective RSHE, that we can minimise the risk of these unacceptable behaviours becoming normalised.

Please contact us if you would like to find out more about this.

Comprehensive RSHE contributes to tackling violence against women and girls. The Department of Education and the PSHE Association have created a set of Twilight webinars addressing ‘Tackling sexual abuse and harassment in schools’. Whilst these have been created with teachers and educational professionals in mind – we would urge interested parents/carers & guardians to engage with this content too.

Domestic Abuse – https://pshe-association.org.uk/guidance/ks1-4/dfesexualharassmentwebinars#Webinar_1

Pornography – https://pshe-association.org.uk/guidance/ks1-4/dfesexualharassmentwebinars#Webinar_2

Sexual Exploitation – https://pshe-association.org.uk/guidance/ks1-4/dfesexualharassmentwebinars#Webinar_3

You may also find these links useful:

Home Office Enough Campaign 

National Police Chiefs’ Council Call to Action 

CPS Research into the public understanding of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences and Consent 

We understand that this is a priority for schools in the current climate and our work can support your whole school approach. We would encourage you to explore our teacher training and parent presentations because the adults in a school community have an important role in modelling positive behaviour and avoiding language that might perpetuate harmful stereotypes. If the adults are conscious of everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and stereotypes, they can take action to build a culture where prejudice is identified and tackled. 

The 2025 Guidance says:

‘Pupils should have opportunities to develop positive conceptions of masculinity and femininity, including how to identify and learn from positive male role models. It is important for pupils to understand that most boys and young men are respectful to girls and young women and each other. Pupils may be exposed to online content which normalises harmful or violent sexual behaviours, which might include sexist and misogynistic influencers who normalise sexual harassment and abuse. Young people may be more vulnerable to this content when they have low self-esteem, are being bullied, or have other challenges in their lives. Teachers should encourage pupils to consider how this content may be harmful to both men and women, while avoiding stigmatising or perpetuating harmful stereotypes about boys, and avoiding directly signposting to specific content and content producers.’

The 2025 Guidance says that schools are required to comply with relevant requirements of the Equality Act 2010. Schools must ensure topics in RSHE are taught in a way which does not discriminate against pupils or amount to harassment. Pupils should understand the importance of equality and respect and learn about the law relating to the protected characteristics by the end of their secondary education, including sexual orientation and gender reassignment, by the end of their secondary education.

Our work is inclusive. All families, all teachers and all young people must feel represented & included in RSHE lessons, workshops and any training they receive. 

The 2025 Guidance is clear about this: ‘strongly encourage primary schools to teach about healthy loving relationships, and to include same-sex parents along with other family arrangements when discussing families. At secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships, and secondary schools should ensure that this content is integrated into RSHE programmes of study rather than delivered as a standalone unit or lesson. Schools should ensure that they cover all the facts about sexual health, including STIs, in a way that is relevant for all pupils, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or gender questioning.’

We do not offer discreet or specific talks or sessions about the LGBT community. If this is what you are looking for, please let us know and we will be happy to suggest other providers who may be able to help.

Where ISI are seeing collaboration with externals and RSHE being done well, it is being noted in their inspection reports. See this recent comment:

‘The PSHE curriculum is well planned and together with the physical education curriculum, helps pupils understand how to stay healthy. Staff are suitably trained to teach the relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum and to enable pupils to discuss sensitive topics openly and thoughtfully. Leaders have considered carefully which aspects of the curriculum should be delivered by appropriate external speakers and seek the views of pupils to ensure that the curriculum is responsive to pupils’ needs as well as local and national events. Parents are kept well informed of what is being taught in RSE and are able to access the same visiting speaker events as their children. Parents also have access to additional speakers to help support their understanding of their child’s needs and experiences.’

We are currently updating our RSHE Support Programme. This involves working closely with one of our team over a sustained period of time to support and guide you through an audit and review process. We work collaboratively to develop a realistic and attainable action plan, to facilitate a process of change and improvement in the delivery and provision of RSHE at your school.

Please contact us if you are interested in our RSHE Support Programme.

No, we do not offer this as a stand-alone session. Consent, values & ethics is integral to all that we do.

When it comes to addressing sexual harassment & sexual violence the 2025 Guidance says:

‘It is important for pupils to understand that ethical behaviour in friendships and other relationships goes beyond respecting boundaries and consent, and that strong relationships of all types involve kindness and care. RSE lessons should be clear that all sexual activity should involve kindness, care, attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of the other person and an awareness of the power dynamics that can exist within relationships.’

It is clear from the updated 2025 Guidance that at Primary, curriculum content includes:

• ‘How to pay attention to the needs and preferences of others, including in families and friendships. Pupils should be encouraged to discuss how we balance the needs and wishes of different people in relationships and why this can be complicated.
• The importance of setting and respecting healthy boundaries in relationships with friends, family, peers and adults.
• How to communicate effectively and manage conflict with kindness and respect; how to be assertive and express needs and boundaries; how to manage feelings, including disappointment and frustration.
• Pupils should have opportunities to discuss the difference between being assertive and being controlling, and conversely the difference between being kind to other people and neglecting your own needs.’

 At Secondary, curriculum content includes a strong focus on ‘more than consent’. Students should understand that:

• ‘Ethical behaviour goes beyond consent and involves kindness, care, attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of the other person, as well as an awareness of power dynamics’.
• How to recognise, respect and communicate consent and boundaries in relationships, including in early romantic relationships (in all contexts, including online) and early sexual relationships that might involve kissing or touching. That kindness and care for others requires more than just consent.’

It is reassuring to see the Department of Education saying that students should understand that just because someone says yes to doing something, that doesn’t automatically make it ethically ok.

Click here for further information on Consent.

We can make all of these as interactive as you wish. We can work with small groups in a discursive and connected way. 

The 2025 Guidance highlights the importance of participative and interactive education:

‘The curriculum should be delivered by school staff or, where schools choose to use them, external providers who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to create a safe and supportive environment and to facilitate participative and interactive education which aims to support and not to alarm pupils. Staff should be trained in safeguarding and offering support, recognising the increased possibility of disclosures.’

 If you’d like to have a conversation about group sizes, carousels, drop down days, workshops etc then contact us.