RSE policy questions governors ask

These questions help a governing board examine the evidence behind its school’s RSE policy and curriculum.

Start with the section the guidance gives governing boards, and read all of it (paragraph 61, printed pages 34–35):

As well as fulfilling their legal obligations, governing boards and proprietors of academy trusts should also make sure that:

• all pupils make progress in achieving the expected educational outcomes
• teaching is accessible to all pupils with SEND
• curriculum content and teaching materials are aligned with this statutory guidance
• clear information is provided for parents on the subject content, teaching materials and external providers, and on the right to request that their child is withdrawn from sex education

Foundation governors of maintained schools and trustees of academy trusts that include schools with a designated religious character will also have wider responsibilities in relation to maintaining and developing the religious ethos of their faith schools

These are should statements alongside legal obligations. Schools “must have regard to the guidance” and need good reasons to depart from its should or should-not statements (paragraph 5, printed page 3). The July 2025 guidance has applied in England since 1 September 2026.

Scope varies. The guidance reaches maintained schools including those with a sixth form, academies and free schools, independent schools, maintained and non-maintained special schools, AP and PRUs (paragraphs 7 and 9, printed page 3). Its statutory requirements “do not apply to sixth form colleges, 16-19 academies or Further Education (FE) colleges”, unless they provide full-time education for 14 to 16 year olds (paragraph 11 and footnote 6, printed page 4). Health education is “compulsory in all schools except independent schools”, where PSHE “continues to be compulsory”. Academies and free schools are included in the health guidance (paragraph 2, printed page 2; footnotes 4 and 5, printed page 3).

The questions

Can we see the policy a parent would find today?

“All schools must have an up-to-date written policy for relationships education or, where they teach sex education, for RSE”, and schools “must provide a copy of their policy free of charge to anyone who asks for one and publish the policy on the school website” (paragraph 12, printed page 4). Without a website, it should be “available by other means” (footnote 7). Check its date against the version staff teach from, and locate the withdrawal information paragraph 61 names.

What did parents tell us last time, and what changed?

Consultation is a must: schools “must proactively engage and consult parents when they develop and review their policy” (paragraph 12). “Parents are not able to veto curriculum content, but schools must consult with parents when developing their RSHE policy” (paragraph 56, printed page 34). Ask what parents raised and what changed.

How would a parent see the materials?

Schools “should show parents a representative sample of the resources that they plan to use” and “should ensure that parents are able to view all curriculum materials used to teach RSHE on request” (paragraph 56). Copyright shapes how sharing happens, but “should never be used as a reason to refuse to share them” (paragraphs 59 and 60, printed page 34). Where materials are bought in, schools “should not agree to any contractual restrictions on showing parents any content that the school will use” (paragraph 57).

Show us the SEND adaptation in a real unit.

Teaching “should be developed to ensure these subjects are accessible for pupils with SEND and prepare pupils for adulthood”, and this “applies to both mainstream and special schools” (paragraph 75, printed page 37). Pupils with SEND “may be more vulnerable than their peers to harmful sexual behaviour, sexual abuse, exploitation and violence, bullying and other issues” (paragraph 76).

How do we know pupils are learning it?

Assessment is folded into curriculum design rather than given a system of its own. Teaching should build “sequentially, with regular feedback provided on pupil progress”, and “assessments should identify where pupils need extra support or intervention” (paragraph 50, printed pages 32–33). Ask for examples of pupil work and feedback.

Where does our curriculum cover the statutory topics?

Schools “should cover all statutory topics” and “should sequence teaching so that pupils are supported and equipped with the knowledge to navigate different experiences in a positive way before they occur” (paragraph 15d, printed page 5). Ask for the curriculum coverage map.

Who is teaching it, and what support have they had?

The curriculum should be delivered by staff or providers “who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to create a safe and supportive environment”, and “Staff should be trained in safeguarding and offering support, recognising the increased possibility of disclosures” (paragraph 15f, printed page 5). Teachers “may require support and training in handling questions that are better not dealt with in the classroom” (paragraph 87, printed page 40). Where visitors teach, one duty is firm: schools “must agree in advance of the session how a safeguarding concern would be dealt with by the external visitor” (paragraph 84, printed page 39).

Where governance stops

Assurance is a different job from running the subject. Withdrawal requests are decided by head teachers: in primary the head “must automatically grant” a request outside the science curriculum, and in secondary heads “can refuse a request in exceptional circumstances” (paragraph 18, printed page 6). Fitting RSHE alongside science, citizenship, computing and PE is the lead teacher’s work (paragraph 51, printed page 33).

On inspection, the guidance says “Key aspects of RSHE are in scope for Ofsted inspection, for example, through inspectors’ consideration of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development” (paragraph 3, printed page 2). This article draws no additional inspection requirements from that sentence.

If a board wants something more concrete than assurances, the printable RSE policy audit sheet is two sides of A4 that a PSHE lead can complete and bring to a meeting, with the paragraph references alongside each check.

If your board would like the policy and curriculum looked at before the next review, we can work through it with you.

Trusted resources

• Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, DfE, July 2025.
• DfE publication page, confirming the version in force in England.