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Relationships and sex education (RSE): handling objections from parents

With updated RSE requirements coming into force in September 2026, you might have to deal with new complaints from parents/carers about your RSE curriculum. Learn when it's your board's job to step in and how to handle the most common complaints with confidence.

Updated
on 25 August 2026See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 36812
Contents
  1. Your headteacher will handle the vast majority of concerns
  2. The complaints process
  3. Proactively engage with parents/carers to avoid objections
  4. Reassure parents that their views are respected
  5. Explain that parts of the RSE curriculum are mandatory
  6. Explain parents' right to withdraw
  7. Handle faith-based or cultural objections sensitively but firmly
  8. Recognise when to end the conversation

From 1 September 2026, your school must follow the updated statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). Get a summary of the updated requirements here.

Your headteacher will handle the vast majority of concerns

But there may be occasions where parents or carers don’t feel they’re being heard. They may:

  • Be unhappy with the new curriculum content 
  • Believe their child is too young for the curriculum
  • Not want their child learning about certain things on religious grounds 

Ultimately, it might be that they find no amount of reassurance from the headteacher satisfactory, and want to make a formal complaint.

In those cases, the headteacher (or a governor, if approached) should refer the parent or carer to your school’s complaints policy. Members of your board will be involved in parts of the complaints process that follows. 

The process for handling complaints about RSE isn’t different from any other type of complaint. In all cases, you should first arrange a