How to review your RSE against the 2026 guidance
An RSE review has to fit around lessons that are already being planned and taught. If you’re responsible for the curriculum, it can be difficult to tell which parts need attention first. I’d start with the lessons pupils are about to receive, then work back to the policy and the information families have been given.
The DfE’s revised guidance, published in July 2025, came into effect in England on 1 September 2026. Schools “must have regard to the guidance”. When departing from the parts saying they should or should not do something, they “need to have good reasons for doing so” (paragraph 5 of the 2025 guidance). The 2025 publication date and 2026 start date refer to the same revised guidance.
This post is the review itself. For what the revised guidance changed, there is a post on the primary changes and one on the secondary changes.
Start with the teaching
Put your curriculum map beside the relevant primary or secondary sections of the 2025 RSHE statutory guidance. Check the setting notes too. Footnote 4 on printed page 3 explains that the health-education guidance does not apply to independent schools, but does apply to academies and free schools. Paragraph 11 and footnote 6 on printed page 4 set out the further-education position, including provision for 14–16-year-olds.
A topic appearing on a map tells you where to look. Open the actual lesson too. Check what pupils are being asked to understand, whether the explanation is clear and what the teacher has available when a discussion becomes difficult. A heading such as “online safety” can cover a great deal without telling you what happens in the room.
The DfE’s 2025 consultation response, question 49, describes additions and expanded coverage including deepfakes, vaping, menstrual and gynaecological health, and personal safety. I’d use that list to choose some lessons for a closer look, keeping the full curriculum review in view.
For work on image sharing and sextortion, for example, look beyond whether the terminology has been updated. Check how the lesson handles blame, where pupils can seek help and how staff will respond if a pupil raises a concern. Review the teaching materials alongside your safeguarding arrangements.
What pupils do with the information
In a lesson about consent, a correct definition is one useful check. Explaining how someone could respond to pressure, notice discomfort or ask for help gives you a different view of their understanding.
Give teachers enough guidance to facilitate that work. A discussion prompt needs a purpose, some thought about possible answers and a way to bring the conversation back when it drifts. Pupils should be able to participate without being asked to describe personal experiences.
The same review can identify staff support needs. Ask which forthcoming lessons teachers feel prepared to teach and where they would value help. That is a more useful starting point for training than the date of the last INSET session.
Parents need to see the materials
The 2025 guidance, paragraphs 55–60, distinguishes showing a representative sample from enabling parents to see all RSHE materials on request. It describes a parent portal as best practice, alongside other sharing arrangements, and addresses copyright. Paragraph 12 also says schools “must proactively engage and consult parents” when developing and reviewing their policy.
Check how that works in your school. A parent reading the policy should be able to find the next step easily. If a teacher adapts a resource, make sure the version you can show parents reflects the planned teaching. A general description of a topic won’t answer every question about a particular activity.
Keep a record of what parents raise and how you respond. For withdrawal questions, turn to the dedicated section in the 2025 guidance, printed pages 6–7. The detail matters because the position differs by phase, subject and the pupil’s age.
Read sensitive sections together
For teaching about sex and gender, read paragraphs 64–72 of the 2025 guidance together. They address factual teaching, contested views, dignity, discrimination and stereotypes. Paragraph 70 cautions against endorsing contested views or presenting them as fact, giving the example that everyone has a gender identity.
I would give staff time to consider the whole passage alongside their lesson materials. That creates room to discuss how they will teach it carefully and respond to pupils, with everyone working from the same text.
Give the review an owner
Record what needs changing and who owns it, with a date for when the revised materials are needed. Start with forthcoming teaching and any gaps affecting safety or access. Bring curriculum changes back into the policy review and parent information, so those documents describe the same programme.
To turn that into something you can actually work through, there is a printable RSE policy audit sheet — two sides of A4, free, with the paragraph reference against each check.
If your school would value support working through that review, get in touch about RSE policy and curriculum planning.
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