Mental health and wellbeing

DfE RSE Statutory Guidance 2026

• "About the benefits of limiting time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others' mental and physical wellbeing" Secondary Health: Wellbeing online, 1 · KS3, KS4
• "Characteristics of common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression), including carefully-presented factual information about the prevalence and characteristics of more serious mental health conditions" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 5 · KS3, KS4
• "How and where to seek support for concerns around sexual relationships including sexual violence or harms" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 11 · KS3, KS4
• "How families and relationships change over time, including through birth, death, separation and new relationships" Secondary RSE: Families, 6 · KS3, KS4
• "How online relationships can complement and support meaningful in-person relationships, but also how they might be in tension, and the reasons why online relationships are unlikely to be a good substitute for high quality in-person relationships" Health Education: Wellbeing online, 2 · KS1, KS2
• "How to ask for advice or help for themselves or others, and to keep trying until they are heard. Where to get advice e.g. family, school and/or other sources" Relationships Education: Being Safe, 7 · KS1, KS2
• "How to communicate effectively and manage conflict with kindness and respect; how to be assertive and express needs and boundaries; how to manage feelings, including disappointment and frustration" Relationships Education: Respectful kind relationships, 3 · KS1, KS2
• "How to critically evaluate which activities will contribute to their overall wellbeing" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 6 · KS3, KS4
• "How to judge when a relationship is unsafe and where to seek help when needed, including when pupils are concerned about violence, harm, or when they are unsure who to trust" Secondary RSE: Families, 8 · KS3, KS4
• "How to judge whether what they are feeling and how they are behaving is appropriate and proportionate" Health Education: General wellbeing, 5 · KS1, KS2
• "How to recognise feelings and use varied vocabulary to talk about their own and others' feelings" Health Education: General wellbeing, 4 · KS1, KS2
• "How to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed" Relationships Education: Families and people who care for me, 6 · KS1, KS2
• "How to recognise when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, and how to get support when needed" Relationships Education: Caring friendships, 7 · KS1, KS2
• "How to seek help when needed, including when they are concerned about violence, harm, or when they are unsure who to trust" Relationships Education: Respectful kind relationships, 11 · KS1, KS2
• "How to seek support for their own worrying or abusive behaviour or for worrying or abusive behaviour they have experienced from others, including information on where to report abuse" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 16 · KS3, KS4
• "How to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 1 · KS3, KS4
• "That bullying (including cyberbullying) has a negative and often lasting impact on mental wellbeing and how to seek help for themselves or others" Health Education: General wellbeing, 7 · KS1, KS2
• "That change and loss, including bereavement, can provoke a range of feelings, that grief is a natural response to bereavement, and that everyone grieves differently" Health Education: General wellbeing, 8 · KS1, KS2
• "That for almost everyone the internet is an integral part of life. Pupils should be supported to think about positive and negative aspects of the internet" Health Education: Wellbeing online, 1 · KS1, KS2
• "That gambling can lead to serious mental health harms, including anxiety, depression, and suicide, and that some gambling products are more likely to cause these harms than others" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 8 · KS3, KS4
• "That happiness is linked to being connected to others, and that loneliness can be an inevitable part of life at times and is not something of which to be ashamed" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 3 · KS3, KS4
• "That healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded" Relationships Education: Caring friendships, 2 · KS1, KS2
• "That isolation and loneliness can affect children, and the benefits of seeking support" Health Education: General wellbeing, 6 · KS1, KS2
• "That it is common to experience mental health problems, and early support can help" Health Education: General wellbeing, 10 · KS1, KS2
• "That not every child will have the friends they would like at all times, that most people feel lonely sometimes, and that there is no shame in feeling lonely or talking about it" Relationships Education: Caring friendships, 3 · KS1, KS2
• "That the co-occurrence of alcohol/drug use and poor mental health is common and that the relationship is bi-directional" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 9 · KS3, KS4
• "That the internet contains a lot of content that can be inappropriate and upsetting for children, and where to go for advice and support when they feel worried or concerned about something they have seen online" Relationships Education: Online safety and awareness, 6 · KS1, KS2
• "That there is a minimum age for joining social media sites (currently 13), which protects children from inappropriate content or unsafe contact" Relationships Education: Online safety and awareness, 3 · KS1, KS2
• "That worrying and feeling down are normal, can affect everyone at different times and are not in themselves a sign of a mental health condition" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 4 · KS3, KS4
• "The benefits and importance of physical activity, sleep, time outdoors, community participation and volunteering or acts of kindness for mental wellbeing and happiness" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 2 · KS3, KS4
• "The benefits of limiting time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others' mental and physical wellbeing" Health Education: Wellbeing online, 3 · KS1, KS2
• "The benefits of physical activity, time outdoors, and helping others for health, wellbeing and happiness. Simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family, as well as hobbies, interests and community participation" Health Education: General wellbeing, 1 · KS1, KS2
• "The characteristics of social media, including that some accounts are fake, may post things which are not real or have been created with AI, and that users may present highly exaggerated or idealised profiles of themselves" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 3 · KS3, KS4
• "The importance of promoting general wellbeing and physical health" Health Education: General wellbeing, 2 · KS1, KS2
• "The importance of self-esteem, independence and having a positive relationship with oneself, and how these characteristics support healthy relationships with others" Secondary RSE: Respectful relationships, 3 · KS3, KS4
• "The importance of self-respect and how this links to their own happiness" Relationships Education: Respectful kind relationships, 8 · KS1, KS2
• "The importance of sufficient good-quality sleep for good health, the importance of screen-free time before bed and removing phones from the bedroom" Secondary Health: Health protection and prevention, 6 · KS3, KS4
• "The physical and psychological consequences of problem-use of alcohol, including alcohol dependency" Secondary Health: Drugs alcohol tobacco and vaping, 4 · KS3, KS4
• "The range and scale of emotions (e.g. happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, nervousness) that they might experience in different situations. That worrying and feeling down are normal, affect everyone at different times, and are not in themselves a sign of a mental health condition" Health Education: General wellbeing, 3 · KS1, KS2
• "The serious risks of viewing online content that promotes self-harm, suicide or violence, including how to safely report this material and how to access support after viewing it" Secondary Health: Wellbeing online, 7 · KS3, KS4
• "The similarities and differences between the online world and the physical world, including the impact of unhealthy or obsessive comparison with others online and how people may curate a specific image of their life online" Secondary Health: Wellbeing online, 2 · KS3, KS4
• "Understanding how to overcome anxiety or other barriers to participating in fun, enjoyable or rewarding activities – that coping strategies can help and that finding courage to participate may decrease anxiety over time" Secondary Health: Mental wellbeing, 7 · KS3, KS4
• "Understanding which trusted adults they can talk to if pupils are worried about violence and/or knife crime" Secondary Health: Personal safety, 4 · KS3, KS4
• "Where and how to seek support (including recognising the triggers for seeking support), including who in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else's mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions" Health Education: General wellbeing, 9 · KS1, KS2

PSHE Association Programme of Study 2020

• "About the concepts of dependence and addiction including awareness of help to overcome addictions" KS3 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H29 · KS3
• "Different things they can do to manage big feelings, to help calm themselves down and/or change their mood when they don't feel good" KS1 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H18 · KS1, KS2
• "How different media portray idealised and artificial body shapes; how this influences body satisfaction and body image and how to critically appraise what they see and manage feelings about this" KS4 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H3 · KS4
• "How self-confidence, self-esteem, and mental health are affected positively and negatively by internal and external influences and ways of managing this" KS4 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H2 · KS4
• "How we are all unique; that recognising and demonstrating personal strengths build self-confidence, self-esteem and good health and wellbeing" KS3 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H1 · KS3
• "Simple strategies to help build resilience to negative opinions, judgements and comments" KS3 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H4 · KS3
• "Strategies to develop assertiveness and build resilience to peer and other influences that affect how they think about themselves and their health and wellbeing" KS4 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H4 · KS4
• "The causes and triggers for unhealthy coping strategies, such as self-harm and eating disorders, and the need to seek help for themselves or others as soon as possible" KS3 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H11 · KS3
• "The effects of change, including loss, separation, divorce and bereavement; strategies for managing these and accessing support" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R22 · KS3
• "The impact that media and social media can have on how people think about themselves and express themselves, including regarding body image, physical and mental health" KS3 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H3 · KS3
• "To manage alcohol and drug use in relation to immediate and long-term health" KS5 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H21 · KS5
• "To recognise how idealised images of bodies and pressure to conform can adversely affect body image and self-esteem; strategies to manage this pressure" KS5 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H2 · KS5
• "To recognise signs of change in mental health and wellbeing and demonstrate a range of strategies for building and maintaining positive mental health, including managing stress and anxiety" KS5 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H4 · KS5
• "To recognise that feelings can change over time and range in intensity" KS1-2 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H17 · KS1, KS2
• "To recognise warning signs of common mental and emotional health concerns (including stress, anxiety and depression), what might trigger them and what help or treatment is available" KS4 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H8 · KS4
• "To recognise what makes them special" KS1 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H21 · KS1, KS2