Relationships and sex education policy
The school's policy on relationships education in primary schools, or relationships and sex education in secondary schools. Every school must publish it, set out parents' right to withdraw their child from sex education and give a free copy on request.
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 is it due?
- Renewal
- No fixed date
The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What's needed
Publish the relationships and sex education policy, including how parents request withdrawal, on the policies page, dated and reviewed within the last 12 months.
What it must contain
5 parts- Sets out how parents can view the curriculum materialsShould
- Says the school consults parents before making or revising the policyMust
- States parents' right to withdraw their child from sex educationMust
- Differentiates between relationships and sex education, where sex education is taughtShould
- Gives a free copy of the policy to anyone who asks for oneMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 4 official sources:
What academies, free schools and colleges must or should 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§ Curriculum > What all academies must publish
– key stage 4 courses, including GCSEs, available
Should§ Curriculum > What all academies should publish
What maintained schools must or should publish online
Schools with key stage 4 provision must publish a list of the key stage 4 courses they offer, including GCSEs.
Must§ 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§ para 12, page 5
Differentiate between relationships and sex education (where sex education is taught), so that parents have clear information.
Should§ 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§ para 12, page 5
Set out how parents can view curriculum materials.
Should§ para 14, sixth bullet, page 6
Include information about a parent’s right to request that their child is withdrawn from sex education.
Should§ 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§ 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§ 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§ 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§ Schedule para 8, new section 80B(2)
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the relationships and sex education policy?
Academies and maintained schools must publish it.
When does the relationships and sex education policy need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What must the relationships and sex education policy 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; Gives a free copy of the policy to anyone who asks for one.
Where does the requirement for the relationships and sex education policy come from?
It is set out in What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online, What maintained schools must or should 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).
Changes to the official sources
Dated change notes published by the Department for Education on the sources above.
12 February 2021 · What maintained schools must or should publish online
Added a section on remote education - linked to the guidance on remote education provision expectations and the optional template to help schools publish information.
12 February 2021 · What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Added a section on remote education - linked to the guidance on remote education provision expectations and the optional template to help schools publish information.
12 November 2020 · What maintained schools must or should publish online
Added new sections: 'Schools that do not have a website' and 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium'. Updated sections on 'Admission arrangements', 'Exams and assessment results', 'Curriculum', 'Pupil premium', 'Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium', 'PE and sport premium for primary schools', 'Equality objectives', 'Special educational needs and disability (SEND) information', 'Governors' information and duties'.
12 November 2020 · What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Added new sections on 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium' and 'Executive pay'. Updated sections on 'Admission arrangements', 'Ofsted reports', 'Exam and assessment results', 'Curriculum', 'Pupil premium', 'Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium', 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium', 'PE and sport premium for primary schools', 'Equality objectives' and 'Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)'.
9 September 2016 · What maintained schools must or should publish online
Reinstated section on special educational needs (SEN) and disability, which was removed in error. Added link to The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2016.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.
Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.
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