Updated statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) comes into force in all English schools from 1 September 2026. This guide covers what’s changing and what parents’ rights actually are, factually and without the noise.
Quick Answer: What’s Changing?
The Department for Education has updated its statutory RSHE guidance, which schools must follow from 1 September 2026 (schools could choose to adopt it earlier). The underlying legal position on RSHE and parents’ right to withdraw their child from sex education remains the same, but the guidance itself has been substantially revised, with new guiding principles and several content changes.
What Parents’ Right to Withdraw Actually Covers
- Sex education: parents can request their child be withdrawn from some or all sex education, up until three terms before the child turns 16, after which the pupil can independently choose to opt back in.
- Relationships and Health Education: parents do not have the right to withdraw their child from Relationships Education or Health Education, only from sex education specifically.
- Science curriculum content: pupils cannot be withdrawn from topics taught as part of the science curriculum, including relevant biological content, regardless of the RSHE withdrawal request.
- Partial withdrawal: parents can request withdrawal from specific topics within sex education (for example, contraception) while their child remains present for others.
What Schools Must Provide to Parents
Schools are required to be transparent with parents about RSHE content, publishing their policy and making teaching materials available on request. Primary schools specifically must make clear what additional sex education they intend to teach, distinguishing between statutory content (relationships, health, and puberty) and any optional additional sex education.
Notable Content Changes in the New Guidance
The new guidance introduces a set of “guiding principles” emphasising transparency with parents and engagement with pupils, alongside a stronger focus on RSHE’s role in supporting wellbeing and mental health. One specific change: the previous guidance stated pupils should be taught the facts about gender identity in an age-appropriate way, while the new guidance instead states that schools “should not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity.”
Timeline for Schools
The updated guidance is mandatory from 1 September 2026, though the previous guidance remained valid until 31 August 2026, giving schools time to review and update their policies, curriculum, and staff training in the lead-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I withdraw my child from all of RSHE?
No. Parents can only withdraw their child from sex education specifically, not from Relationships Education or Health Education, both of which remain compulsory for all pupils.
Until what age can a parent withdraw a child from sex education?
Parents can request withdrawal up until three terms before their child turns 16. After that point, the pupil themselves can choose to opt back into sex education lessons if they wish.
How do I see what RSHE content my child’s school is teaching?
Schools are required to publish their RSHE policy and make teaching materials available to parents on request, so contacting the school directly or checking its published policy is the best starting point.
