Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered (a) lessons from road safety education, and (b) circumstances where (i) sustained education and (ii) meaningful consequences for offenders reduced harm, in developing its approach to education on consent and relationships.

We have published updated guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for teaching from September 2026, which includes a focus on developing skills for healthy relationships from the beginning of primary school and sets out that secondary schools should cover the role of consent, including how to recognise, respect and communicate consent and boundaries in both platonic and romantic relationships. Pupils should be made aware of the relevant legal provisions when relevant topics are being taught, including those relating to consent.

The focus for primary relationships education should be on teaching the skills and knowledge that form the building blocks of all positive relationships, supporting children from the start of their education to grow into kind, caring adults who have respect for others. Relationships and sex education in secondary schools should provide a clear progression from primary relationships education, providing young people with the information they need to develop healthy, safe and nurturing relationships of all kinds.

The department is investing £16 million to pilot targeted interventions in schools from the next academic year, supporting the rollout of the updated RSHE curriculum and strengthening teaching on healthy relationships and harmful behaviours to ensure teachers and schools feel fully supported.