Big changes for UK schools – including lessons on AI, deepfakes, and misogyny
Children and young people will be better protected from misogynism, deepfake porn and unhealthy attitudes to consent, power and control as part of the new Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance for schools, the government announced on Tuesday (15 July).
The guidance has a specific focus on helping boys identify positive role models, and challenge myths about women and relationships that are spread online in the ‘manosphere’ – without stigmatising boys for being boys.
Secondary schools will also now include lessons on incel culture, including how a piece of content online can impact a person’s understanding of sexual ethics and behaviour, as well as increasing awareness of AI, deepfakes and how pornography links to misogyny.
Other additions to the curriculum include spiking and methanol poisoning, increased focus on resilience and coping, a strengthened health syllabus so children are equipped with necessary knowledge on women’s health such as endometriosis and fertility.
Additional new content for secondary schools includes:
- Sexual ethics beyond consent, for example teaching young people that yes doesn’t always mean yes as factors like peer pressure should be taken into account;
- Staying safe in public spaces, to match staying safe online, so young people know how to increase their personal safety in public spaces, build confidence in trusting their instincts and learn ways to seek help;
- Financial exploitation;
- Positive conceptions of femininity and masculinity.
A strong new emphasis on age-appropriate and sequenced teaching, differentiated between primary and secondary school, will mean children don’t get taught things they are too young for, without proscribing specific ages to each individual topic.
The clear dividing line between what can be taught in primary and secondary school remains unchanged.
This will allow teachers to sensitively respond to topics that children might have seen online or heard from their friends, making sure children are kept safe and parents are informed, the government said.
Schools can begin following the guidance from the new school year and it must be followed from September 2026.
“I want our children to be equipped to defy the malign forces that exist online. Schools and parents alike have a vital role to play, helping children identify positive role models and resist the manipulation too often used online to groom impressionable young minds,” said Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson
“Whether it’s helping deliver on our Plan for Change mission to halve violence against women and girls or growing a more just and equal society, there can be no more basic mission for a government then making sure our children grow up to become decent, respectful adults, prepared for the modern world,” she said.
