Is suicide prevention now on the curriculum?

The Department for Education published new statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance this year, for implementation from September 2026. Whilst the guidance does not require schools to teach about suicide, it includes references to suicide prevention, which has prompted questions from schools about the best way to respond.

Firstly, it’s important to note that schools are expected to reflect the new RSHE guidance in their curriculum from September 2026. The Association will have everything you need to get ready in plenty of time — from a new Programme of Study and planning tools to lesson plans (keep an eye on our RSHE roadmap for updates) — and in the meantime schools are expected to follow the current, 2019 RSHE guidance.

Regarding reference to suicide prevention in the 2025/26 guidance — although suicide prevention is mentioned in the narrative text, there is no specific statutory requirement to teach about suicide directly. Each school leadership will need to weigh up the benefits and risks of the different ways that the RSHE curriculum can contribute to suicide prevention based on the available evidence. We know that what evidence there is around teaching about suicide directly is limited and mixed. Children’s mental health organisations, such as Anna Freud, are working on how best to support school leaders navigate this evidence and make the best decisions for their schools. For many schools, this will not include teaching about suicide directly.  

There is a strong evidence base for how to teach wider mental health education safely,  and proven value in teaching about and fostering mental health as well as how to seek help. This in turn is how PSHE education is best placed to help prevent mental health issues escalating to the point where someone is considering taking their own life.

Much of the new guidance about suicide prevention describes content that is already expertly delivered in many schools, e.g. recognising and talking about emotions; looking after our wellbeing; what to do when concerned about own or others’ wellbeing; worries about friendship/bullying; how to know when to ask for support and where to go to get support; what to do when things go wrong in life and how to get help from a trusted adult. 

In other words, good mental health education that teaches pupils strategies to promote their own mental health and wellbeing; to recognise the signs that they or someone else has a mental health difficulty; and to know when, where, and how to seek help, is education suicide prevention education, even if suicide is not specifically mentioned.

The new statutory guidance (pp. 25–26) reinforces this, making clear that many aspects of suicide prevention are already covered through broader mental wellbeing teaching. Topics such as recognising and talking about emotions, managing friendships and loneliness, coping with challenges and setbacks, and knowing how to seek help are all part of a safe preventative approach.

So, schools do not have to address suicide directly, but if they choose to, they should do so with caution and are advised to consult with mental health professionals beforehand. They should also take into account pupils’ age, maturity and personal experiences, parents’ views, and the skills and confidence of teaching staff.

The guidance suggests that schools should consult mental health professionals before addressing suicide directly with secondary aged pupils. We know that schools have different access to mental health professionals — for example through Mental Health Support Teams, in-house or commissioned professionals such as a school counsellor, an educational psychologist, or via local authority or public health-led programmes.

If you decide not to address suicide directly in lessons, pupils may still raise the subject or ask questions about it during lessons on mental health challenges. As the statutory guidance makes clear, it is important not to discuss specific methods of suicide. And an answer that focuses on ways of getting help for oneself or others, then an individual follow up via safeguarding or pastoral processes, is the safest and most effective approach — rather than exploring it in a whole-class setting.

We are continuing to develop resources and training to help schools prepare to implement the updated statutory guidance next September (2026) and will be sharing much more across the coming year.

In the meantime, the following is already available to help you deliver safe and effective PSHE:

• Our new ‘Wellbeing for Life’ mental health education lesson plans for KS3-4 update and replace our popular Mental health and emotional wellbeing lesson suite and build upon our Foundations for Wellbeing curriculum for primary schools, created in partnership with researchers from the University of York. They focus on lifelong strategies for managing wellbeing, including recognising when to seek help.
• Our Friendship and Bullying, Belonging and Community, and Change, Loss and Grief lesson packs address relevant and related aspects such as empathy, seeking help, tackling loneliness, and managing change.
• Interactive posters on creating a safe classroom and effective teaching.
• Guidance on handling complex issues and creating a safe learning environment.
• Guidance on teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing.

You may also want to explore our training opportunities to support both you and your colleagues:

• Live face-to-face and online training
• School staff training
• On-demand training for all your staff through School Plus.