Understanding Relationships, Sex and Health
Education at your child’s secondary school:
a guide for parents

We want all children to grow up healthy, happy, safe, and able to manage the challenges and
opportunities of modern Britain. That is why, from September 2020, all secondary age children will be taught Relationships, Sex and Health Education.
These subjects are designed to equip your child with knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life. The world for all young people looks very different from the way it did 20 years ago when this
curriculum was last updated – these changes bring the content into the 21st century, so that it is relevant for your child.
Your child’s school will have flexibility to deliver the content in a way that is age and
developmentally appropriate and sensitive to the needs and religious background of its pupils.

Relationships and Sex Education

Relationships and Sex Education will build on the teaching at primary. It aims to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds.
Your child’s school will cover content on what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like and what makes a good friend, colleague and successful marriage or committed relationship. At the appropriate time, the focus will move to developing intimate relationships, to equip your child with knowledge they need to make safe, informed and healthy choices as they progress through adult life.

Relationships and Sex Education will build on the teaching at primary. It aims to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds.
Your child’s school will cover content on what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like and what makes a good friend, colleague and successful marriage or committed relationship. At the appropriate time, the focus will move to developing intimate relationships, to equip your child with knowledge they need to make safe, informed and healthy choices as they progress through adult life.

Health Education

Health Education aims to give your child the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to

recognise issues in themselves and others, and to seek support as early as possible when issues arise.

By the end of secondary school, pupils will have been taught content on:

  • mental wellbeing
  • internet safety and harms
  • physical health and fitness
  • healthy eating
  • drugs, alcohol and tobacco
  • health and prevention
  • basic first aid
  • changing adolescent body

You can find further details by

searching ‘relationships, sex and health education’ on GOV.UK.

Your rights as a parent

The important lessons you teach your child about healthy relationships, looking after

themselves and staying safe, are respected and valued under this new curriculum. Teaching at school will complement and reinforce the

lessons you teach your child as they grow up.

Your child’s school is required to consult with you when developing and renewing their

policies on Relationships, Sex and Health

Education. These policies must be published online and be available to anybody free of charge.

You can express your opinion, and this will help your child’s school decide how and when to cover the content of the statutory guidance. It may also help them decide whether to teach additional non-statutory content. Schools are

required to ensure their teaching reflects the age and religious background of their pupils.

Some schools will start to teach these subjects from September 2019 – if you’d like to know more, please speak to your child’s school about what they plan to teach.

 

Right to withdraw your child

You cannot withdraw your child from Health
Education or the Relationships Education
element of Relationships and Sex Education, because it is important that all children receive this content, covering topics such as friendships and how to stay safe.
If you do not want your child to take part in some or all of the Sex Education lessons
delivered at secondary, you can ask that they are withdrawn. Your child’s head teacher will consider this request and discuss it with you, and will grant this in all but exceptional
circumstances, up until three school terms
before your child turns 16. At this age, your child can choose to receive Sex Education if they would like to, and the school should
arrange for your child to receive this teaching in one of those three terms (unless there are exceptional circumstances).
If your child’s school is planning to teach these subjects from September 2019, your right to withdraw your child from Sex Education will be governed by the current legislation and so is absolute for the 2019/20 academic year – your child cannot opt in, and the head teacher will not overrule this request. This will remain the case until September 2020, when the new
subjects will become compulsory and the new right to withdraw provisions will apply.
The science curriculum in all maintained schools also includes content on human
development, including reproduction, which there is no right to withdraw from.