New research finds Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is falling seriously short of what young people need

We’re being taught this stuff too late and, at this point, I feel like...the information that we have, either we learnt it from our parents or we learnt it on the internet because the school really doesn’t do much to help us with these types of topics.

I love it - but wish it were taken more seriously by my school. They get two hours a year in an assembly format.

At SafeLives, we are passionate about stopping abuse before it starts, and education is the single most powerful preventative tool we have.

Our team has found some glaring gaps in the delivery of this new guidance. RSE should be equipping young people, often engaging in their first intimate relationships, with the support, knowledge and confidence to navigate relationships safely and healthily. Instead, students feel let down and that they should be getting much more out of these classes - leaving many, especially boys, looking online for answers.

It’s shocking that 10 out of the 21 young people we spoke to, who had been withdrawn from some or all sex education, said they don’t speak anyone about RSE outside school. It can't be right that some schools champion this important work, while others neglect certain areas - and it is disappointing that young people are sometimes removed from these lessons altogether.

We mustn’t have a school lottery when it comes to supporting and teaching young people about crucial issues that affect their wellbeing and safety – as young people and as they become adults.

We want to see schools across the country embedding a whole-school approach to RSE, where all members of a school community - students, staff, parents and governors - ensure RSE is prioritised and teachers are provided with the resources and time they need to build trust with their students