Our latest piece for the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Blog uses nationwide surveys to explore changes in young people's experiences of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England between 2021-2025.
Our findings paint a positive overall picture, including:
The percentage of 16-to-17-year-olds in England who describe their experience of RSE as ‘Good’ or ‘Very good’ increased from 35% in 2021 to 52% in 2025.
The percentage of young people who describe their experience of RSE as ‘Bad’ or ‘Very bad’ reduced from 22% to 8% during this period, with just 1 in 50 (2%) describing it as ‘Very bad’ in 2025 in comparison to one in seven (15 per cent) describing it as ‘Very good’.
The majority of (90%) of those surveyed believe their school effectively prepared them to develop healthy relationships, while over half (58 per cent) agreed that personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education — the curriculum subject that covers statutory RSE — should be taught until the age of 18.
This points to overwhelmingly clear evidence that significant progress and has been made and sustained since RSE became statutory, with many young people now reporting positive experiences.
Read the piece in full on BERA’s website: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/signs-of-progress-how-are-young-people-experiencing-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-in-england.