It has been widely reported this morning that the Department for Education (DfE) will publish the final version of its updated statutory relationships, sex and health (RSHE) education guidance later today.
We will take a look as soon as this is published and provide an initial reaction later, but reports suggest more emphasis on protective safeguarding content including a focus tackling misogyny and related areas, including ‘AI, deepfakes and how pornography links to misogyny’. This is in response to DfE warnings of misogynistic attitudes reaching an “epidemic scale”, and echoes findings from our joint research and guidance for teachers on the manosphere and misogyny published recently with the University of York.
The Education Secretary is quoted in the press as saying that “Children today are bombarded by content – whether it’s Instagram influencers with impossible expectations for how we should look, or algorithms that trap young people in a vortex of vices from gambling to drugs. Our new relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum will equip kids to develop positive attitudes from the get-go, building their resilience to harmful content in an age-appropriate way, right from the start of school.”
Schools have until September 2026 to adapt their curricula to reflect this new guidance, but can start following it from September this year if they wish to. We will support our members to make these changes through CPD, guidance and resources.