Sex and the law

DfE RSE Statutory Guidance 2026

• "A range of strategies for identifying, resisting and understanding pressure in relationships from peers or others, including sexual pressure, and how to avoid putting pressure on others" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 2 · KS3, KS4
• "About risks of sextortion, how to identify online scams relating to sex, and how to seek support if they have been scammed or involved in sextortion" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 14 · KS3, KS4
• "How inequalities of power can impact behaviour within relationships, including sexual relationships" Secondary RSE: Respectful relationships, 10 · KS3, KS4
• "How the use of alcohol and drugs can lead people to take risks in their sexual behaviour" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 10 · KS3, KS4
• "How to critically evaluate their online relationships and sources of information, including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met" Relationships Education: Online safety and awareness, 2 · KS1, KS2
• "How to recognise, respect and communicate consent and boundaries in relationships, including in early romantic relationships and early sexual relationships" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 1 · KS3, KS4
• "Not to provide material to others that they would not want to be distributed further and not to pass on personal material which is sent to them" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 4 · KS3, KS4
• "Sexual consent and their capacity to give, withhold or remove consent at any time, even if initially given, as well as considerations prior to sexual activity including the law, faith and family values" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 3 · KS3, KS4
• "That all aspects of health can be affected by choices they make in sex and relationships, positively or negatively, e.g. physical, emotional, mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 4 · KS3, KS4
• "That fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviours can be criminal, and where to get help if needed" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 10 · KS3, KS4
• "That keeping or forwarding indecent or sexual images of someone under 18 is a crime, even if the photo is of themselves or someone who has consented, and even if the image was created by the child and/or using AI generated imagery" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 5 · KS3, KS4
• "That sex, for people who feel ready and are over the age of consent, can and should be enjoyable and positive" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 1 · KS3, KS4
• "That sexual harassment includes unsolicited sexual language/attention/touching, taking and/or sharing intimate or sexual images without consent, public sexual harassment, pressuring other people to do sexual things, and upskirting" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 6 · KS3, KS4
• "That some sexual behaviours can be harmful" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 5 · KS3, KS4
• "That strangulation and suffocation are criminal offences, and that any activity that involves applying force or pressure to someone's neck or covering someone's mouth and nose is dangerous and can lead to serious injury or death" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 14 · KS3, KS4
• "That there are choices in relation to pregnancy, including keeping the baby, adoption, abortion and where to get further help" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 7 · KS3, KS4
• "The characteristics of positive relationships of all kinds, online and offline, including romantic relationships. Including the role of consent, trust, mutual respect, honesty, kindness, loyalty, shared interests, boundaries, tolerance, privacy, and the management of conflict" Secondary RSE: Respectful relationships, 1 · KS3, KS4
• "The concepts and laws relating to domestic abuse, including controlling or coercive behaviour, emotional, sexual, economic or physical abuse, and violent or threatening behaviour" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 9 · KS3, KS4
• "The concepts and laws relating to harmful sexual behaviour, which includes all types of sexual harassment and sexual violence among young people" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 8 · KS3, KS4
• "The concepts and laws relating to harms which are exploitative, including sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and abuse, grooming, and financial exploitation" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 11 · KS3, KS4
• "The concepts and laws relating to sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 7 · KS3, KS4
• "The law about the age of consent, that they have a choice about whether to have sex, that many young people wait until they are older, and that people of all ages can enjoy intimate and romantic relationships without sex" Secondary RSE: Intimate and sexual relationships, 2 · KS3, KS4
• "The physical and psychological risks associated with alcohol consumption, including what constitutes low risk alcohol consumption in adulthood, and how to decrease the risks of having a drink spiked" Secondary Health: Drugs alcohol tobacco and vaping, 3 · KS3, KS4
• "The risks and signs that they may be at risk of grooming or exploitation, and how to seek help where there is a concern" Secondary Health: Personal safety, 6 · KS3, KS4
• "The role of consent, including in romantic and sexual relationships. That ethical behaviour goes beyond consent and involves kindness, care, attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of the other person, as well as an awareness of power dynamics" Secondary RSE: Respectful relationships, 8 · KS3, KS4
• "What constitutes sexual harassment or sexual violence, and that such behaviour is unacceptable, emphasising that it is never the fault of the person experiencing it" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 5 · KS3, KS4
• "What to do and how to report when they are concerned about material that has been circulated, including personal information, images or videos" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 6 · KS3, KS4

PSHE Association Programme of Study 2020

• "About the challenges associated with getting help in domestic abuse situations of all kinds; the importance of doing so; sources of appropriate advice and support, and how to access them" KS4 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R32 · KS4
• "About the concept of consent in maturing relationships" KS4 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R18 · KS4
• "About the current legal position on abortion and the range of beliefs and opinions about it" KS4 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R27 · KS4
• "How to recognise, and seek help in the case of, sexual abuse, exploitation, assault or rape, and the process for reporting to appropriate authorities" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R13 · KS5
• "How to seek, give, not give and withdraw consent (in all contexts, including online)" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R26 · KS3
• "That consent is freely given; that being pressurised, manipulated or coerced to agree to something is not giving consent, and how to seek help in such circumstances" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R24 · KS3
• "That everyone has the choice to delay sex, or to enjoy intimacy without sex" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R12 · KS3
• "That intimate relationships should be pleasurable" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R31 · KS3
• "The characteristics of abusive behaviours, such as grooming, sexual harassment, sexual and emotional abuse, violence and exploitation; to recognise warning signs, including online; how to report abusive behaviours or access support" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R37 · KS3
• "The different types of intimacy — including online — and their potential emotional and physical consequences (both positive and negative)" KS4 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H26 · KS4
• "The impact of sharing sexual images of others without consent" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R29 · KS3
• "The role of pleasure in intimate relationships, including orgasms" KS4 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R2 · KS4
• "The skills to assess their readiness for sex, including sexual activity online, as an individual and within a couple" KS4 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R21 · KS4
• "To develop and maintain healthy, pleasurable relationships and explore different levels of emotional intimacy" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R6 · KS5
• "To evaluate different degrees of emotional intimacy in relationships, the role of pleasure, how they understand the difference between 'love' and 'lust'" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R7 · KS5
• "To gauge readiness for sexual intimacy" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R28 · KS3
• "To manage the influence of drugs and alcohol on decision-making within relationships and social situations" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R20 · KS3
• "To recognise and manage different forms of abuse, sources of support and exit strategies for unhealthy relationships" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R20 · KS5
• "To recognise and manage negative influence, manipulation and persuasion in a variety of contexts, including online" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R19 · KS5
• "To understand how alcohol and drug use can affect decision making and personal safety, including looking out for friends, safe travel and drink-spiking" KS5 Core Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing, H22 · KS5
• "To understand the moral and legal responsibilities that someone seeking consent has, and the importance of respecting people's right to give, not give, or withdraw their consent" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R11 · KS5
• "To understand their rights in relation to harassment (including online) and stalking, how to respond and how to access support" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R22 · KS5