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Notable Inclusions and Exclusions in the Final Guidance

Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Statutory guidance for governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, principals, senior leadership teams, and teachers

Comparing the draft and final 2025 guidance, there are some clear cases of content being added, removed, or refined in the final version: Removal of Proposed Age Restrictions: Perhaps the most headline change is that the final guidance drops the explicit age limits that the draft had placed on certain “sensitive” topics. Under the draft, specific content (like detailed sexual content, pornography, gender identity, etc.) was delineated as only to be taught in secondary (and even then, possibly in later secondary years), with the guidance urging strict adherence to those limits. The final guidance excludes those hard age cut-offs. As noted, the new policy is that while content must still be age-appropriate, there is flexibility. This means the final document does not include the draft’s table or list of “do not teach X until Year Y” – giving schools more discretion. The rationale given by the DfE was that risks like exposure to harmful content are happening earlier in childhood, so schools shouldn’t be barred from addressing an issue earlier if needed for pupils’ safety. This is a significant shift from the draft’s more prescriptive approach…

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Written by the CEO of Cre8tive Resources - Experts in PSHE curriculum Content for Secondary and primary schools.