New 2025 RSHE Guidance Explained

Blog & NewsTeacher Guides
Written By Jennifer Haynes

Author: Jennifer Haynes

The government has finally released its updated RSHE guidance, the rulebook for what schools are expected to cover when it comes to Relationships, Sex and Health Education. This is the first big refresh since 2019 - and it’s fair to say a lot has changed in the world since then.

From vaping to deepfakes, suicide prevention to sextortion, the new guidance is all about bringing RSHE into the 2025 reality of young people’s lives. Teachers across the country are now busy figuring out what this means for their classrooms - so let’s break it down.

 

What is RSHE (and how does it fit with PSHE)?

RSHE is the compulsory part of PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education). It covers the topics every school must teach, including relationships, sexual health, mental health and physical wellbeing.

PSHE is broader, often covering things like careers, money management and citizenship, but RSHE is the statutory bit that’s non-negotiable.

 

When does the new RSHE guidance take effect?

The new guidance is published now but doesn’t become statutory until 1st September 2026, giving schools time to adapt their schemes of work, resources and training.

That said, many schools will start making tweaks sooner - particularly where big gaps have been highlighted.

 

How does the new RSHE guidance affect parents?

Not much changes here. Parents’ right to review RSHE resources has been reinforced (and schools may take a more pro-active approach to sharing these), while the right to request withdrawal from sex education remains in place.

What might change is the content they see coming home - new, more modern issues, and possibly more open conversations about mental health and online safety.

 

What will be different for learners?

This is where the changes really kick in. Learners will now see teaching that reflects some of the real challenges they face in 2025, including:

  • Online safety: Deepfakes, online scams, AI chatbots, data protection and gambling.

  • Sexual health: Consent, choking risks, sextortion, porn and unrealistic expectations, HIV prevention drugs.

  • Mental health: Reducing stigma, recognising self-harm or suicide-related content online, tools for resilience.

  • Physical health: Vaping, obesity, synthetic drugs like Spice, menstrual health including endometriosis and PCOS.

  • Society & relationships: Incel culture, domestic abuse, stalking and coercive control.

The focus is on equipping young people with practical tools and healthy norms, not just scare tactics.

 

How does this affect Peerscroller?

One of the strengths of Peerscroller’s approach is its flexibility - we can respond quickly to the real issues young people are facing. Many of the topics highlighted in the new RSHE guidance are already covered in our video library, giving schools and colleges a head-start on conversations that matter now.

We’ll also be releasing additional content over the coming months and updating our curriculum mapping guides to help teachers plan ahead for the September 2026 deadline.

 

Why did these changes come about?

The refreshed RSHE guidance isn’t just adding trendy topics - it’s responding to rising harm that young people in the UK are now facing.

Here's why some of these issues have earned a spot in the statutory curriculum:

Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
Youth suicide has risen in the UK, with almost half of 17-to-19-year-olds with a mental health condition reporting self-harm or suicidal thoughts. Campaigns like Papyrus’s SaveTheClass initiative have been instrumental in getting this guidance onto the curriculum.

Vaping
One in ten secondary school students vape - and researchers have demonstrated a gateway effect into smoking cigarettes, reversing decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use. Illicitly-produced vapes risk containing even more harmful substances, such as synthetic cannabinoids and even lead. RSHE now directly addresses nicotine addiction, health risks, and misleading marketing tactics.

Pornography Exposure
Exposure to pornography happens early - research shows over one in five (22%) of girls aged 7 to 10 had seen ‘rude images online’, and the average age at which explicit content is first viewed is 13 (and that’s the average.)

These materials normalise dangerous sexual scripts regarding consent and violence - and a sharp rise in reported misogyny in schools and colleges has educators looking for the root cause.

Sextortion
A growing digital threat in the UK, Sextortion is a type of online blackmail, when young people are threatened to share sexual pictures, videos, or information. With over 110 sextortion cases reported monthly involving under-18s in early 2024 and victims as young as 11, it’s certainly on the rise. And alarmingly, 74% of teenage boys don’t fully understand what sextortion is or how to report it.

Incels & Misogynistic Influencers
Toxic subcultures and influencer content (like that of Andrew Tate) reach vast UK youth audiences - 66% of boys aged 13-18 have seen his content, and more than half of teens report witnessing regular misogynistic comments online. The recent Netflix docuseries Adolescence has highlighted how quickly boys can be pulled into these toxic online echo chambers, normalising harmful attitudes towards women.

AI Chatbots
Rising numbers of children (64%) are using AI chatbots for help with everything from homework to emotional advice and companionship. There is growing recognition that further clarity, updated guidance or new legislation may be needed.

These are just some of the issues driving the changes. What else will there be when the next guidance is released?

 

Why did the new guidance take so long?

The last statutory guidance came out in 2019, meaning a seven-year gap between updates. Updating government guidance is a slow process - it takes research, consultation and approvals. But life moves faster than that.

That’s where tools like Peerscroller can plug the gap - making sure teachers and students don’t have to wait years for vital new topics to be covered.

 

Are these new changes likely to suceed?

Some parts definitely will help - clearer rules around gender identity teaching, for example, will give teachers confidence to handle sensitive discussions.

But other aspects are tricky. Schools are expected to bring in mental health professionals for suicide and eating disorder content. That’s brilliant in theory, but with limited time, budgets and access to specialists, it’s a big ask. This will likely only work if third parties like charities or educational tools like Peerscroller, for example, step in to help.

 

What do schools need to do now?

Review and update their PSHE schemes of work in line with the new guidance.

  • Audit resources to ensure they cover the new topics.
    (Check out our PSHE Association mapping guide for Peerscroller if you need a hand with this!)

  • Plan staff training, particularly around mental health and sensitive issues.

  • Identify external support, whether that’s charities, mental health specialists or platforms like Peerscroller, to deliver expert content safely.

The bottom line: schools don’t need to panic, but getting a head start now will make the 2026 deadline much less stressful.

 
Jennifer Haynes
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