RSE policy: what to publish on your school website
Your website needs your relationships education, or relationships and sex education, policy, including how parents can withdraw their child from sex education.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The school's own website
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When it's due
Keep it up to date
There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
What's needed
Publish your relationships and sex education policy on the policies page on your website, explaining how parents can view curriculum materials and withdraw their child from sex education.
What it must contain
5 parts- Sets out how parents can view the curriculum materialsShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says the school consults parents before making or revising the policyMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- States parents' right to withdraw their child from sex educationMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Differentiates between relationships and sex education, where sex education is taughtShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Gives a free copy of the policy to anyone who asks for oneMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
What the official sources say
Set out in 4 official sources:
What academies must publish online
Academies must publish their policy on relationships education or relationships and sex education. They should consult parents and carers when developing and reviewing it. It must meet pupils’, parents’ and carers’ needs, and reflect the community the academy serves.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Curriculum > What all academies must publish
– key stage 4 courses, including GCSEs, available
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ Curriculum > What all academies should publish
What maintained schools must publish online
Schools with key stage 4 provision must publish a list of the key stage 4 courses they offer, including GCSEs.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Curriculum > What schools with key stage 4 provision must publish
Relationships education, RSE and health education: statutory guidance (for introduction 1 September 2026)
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.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ para 12, page 5
Differentiate between relationships and sex education (where sex education is taught), so that parents have clear information.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 14, second bullet, page 5
Show 3 more from this source
All schools must have an up-to-date written policy for relationships education or, where they teach sex education, for RSE.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ para 12, page 5
Set out how parents can view curriculum materials.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 14, sixth bullet, page 6
Include information about a parent’s right to request that their child is withdrawn from sex education.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 14, third bullet, page 5
Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/924)
1 The governing body of a maintained school must— a make, and keep up to date, a separate written statement of their policy with regard to the provision of education under each of paragraphs (1)(c) and (d) of section 80, and b publish a copy of the statement on a website and provide a copy free of charge to anyone who asks for one.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Schedule para 8, new section 80B(1) of the Education Act 2002
1 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor— a ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with primary education at the school is provided with relationships education, b ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with secondary education at the school is provided with relationships and sex education, except in so far as the pupil is excused as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2), c in a case where the school is an Academy, ensures that every registered pupil is provided with health education, d in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c), has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools, e makes and keeps up to date a separate written statement of its policy with regard to the provision of education as required by each of paragraphs (a) and (b), f consults parents of registered pupils at the school before making or revising a statement under sub-paragraph (e), and g publishes a copy of the statement on a website and provides a copy of the statement free of charge to anyone who asks for one.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Schedule para 12, new paragraph 2A(1) of the Schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014
Show 2 more from this source
19 Sections 80(1)(c) to (e) and (2A), 80A and 80B of that Act (curriculum to include relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education) apply in relation to units as they apply in relation to maintained schools but as if for “governing body of a maintained school”, wherever those words occur, there were substituted “management committee of the unit”.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Schedule para 9, substituting paragraph 19 of Schedule 1 to the Education (Pupil Referral Units) (Application of Enactments) (England) Regulations 2007
2 A statement under subsection (1) must include a statement of the effect of section 405(3) of the Education Act 1996 (exemption from sex education: England).
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Schedule para 8, new section 80B(2)
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish an RSE policy?
Academies and maintained schools must.
What does an RSE policy need to include?
Sets out how parents can view the curriculum materials; Says the school consults parents before making or revising the policy; States parents' right to withdraw their child from sex education; Differentiates between relationships and sex education, where sex education is taught; a free copy of the policy to anyone who asks for one.
When do we need to update our RSE policy?
Keep it up to date. There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
Where does the requirement for the relationships and sex education policy come from?
It is set out in What academies must publish online, What maintained schools must publish online, Relationships education, RSE and health education: statutory guidance (for introduction 1 September 2026) and Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/924).
Recent changes to the official guidance
None of the published updates to the official sources change this requirement.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
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Official wording that does not apply to schools (1)
30. Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, but we recommend that primaries teach sex education in years 5 and/or 6, in line with content about conception and birth, which forms part of the national curriculum for science.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4