🧡 Updated RSHP Guidance: What Parents Need to Know

A simple, parent‑friendly overview of the recent changes to Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education

Why has the RSHP guidance been updated?

The Scottish Government has released new statutory RSHP teaching guidance (published 4 February 2025). This replaces the previous 2014 guidance and reflects what children and young people need today to stay safe and healthy.

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🌱 What does RSHP look like in primary school?

In primary settings, RSHP focuses on:

• Building positive relationships

• Understanding kindness, respect, and boundaries

• Learning what is safe and appropriate behaviour

• Beginning to understand consent in simple, age‑appropriate ways
  
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This is not about teaching explicit sexual content. It’s about helping children develop confidence, respect for others, and the ability to stay safe.

🧠 What’s new in the updated guidance?

1. A stronger focus on keeping children safe

The revised guidance emphasises helping children understand:

• Safe and unsafe situations

• How to express when something feels wrong

• How to get help from trusted adults
  
  This supports early prevention of gender‑based violence as children grow.

2. Supporting children to stay safe online

A major update is helping children recognise risks in the online world.
The guidance highlights teaching children to:

• Understand potential online harms

• Make safe and informed choices when using digital devices

• Recognise when something online doesn’t feel right

3. A more inclusive RSHP curriculum

The new guidance reflects Scotland’s commitment to equality and inclusion.
It includes recommendations from national reviews (such as the LGBT Inclusive Education Working Group).
This means RSHP will continue to:

• Promote respect for everyone

• Acknowledge and value the diversity of families

• Foster a sense of belonging for all children

4. Alignment with Scotland’s refreshed curriculum

The updated RSHP guidance aligns with the Curriculum Improvement Cycle and will continue evolving as the national curriculum is refreshed.
Schools will receive ongoing support in implementing this.

🏫 What this means for our school

We will:

• Review our current RSHP teaching materials

• Ensure lessons reflect the new statutory guidance

• Continue to teach RSHP in an age‑appropriate, sensitive, and inclusive way

• Let parents know what is taught at each stage

• Provide opportunities to view materials or ask questions

🤝 We value our partnership with parents

If you ever have questions about what your child will learn in RSHP, please contact the school. We are happy to:

• Share resources

• Discuss lesson content

• Explain our approach

• Listen to your views

We want RSHP to support every child to feel safe, confident, and respected—both online and offline.