England Schools Now Required To Teach Women's Health

England Schools Now Required To Teach Women's Health

Jasmine Panayiotou

The first major update to health education guidance since 2019, and what it could mean for young girls.

From the 1st of September 2026, all secondary schools in England are legally required to teach menstrual and gynaecological health as part of the updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum.

Endometriosis, PMOS, and menstrual health are now all on the syllabus. This new legal ruling has been enforced to help girls recognise symptoms earlier on, and know when and how to access healthcare if they should need it.

It is the first update to national health education guidance since 2019, and it arrives against a stark backdrop. As of March 2026, the Women and Equalities Committee labelled the backlog of nearly half a million women on hospital gynaecology waiting lists a "national scandal."

Endometriosis alone affects 1 in 10 women and takes an average of nearly a decade to diagnose. A generation of girls were never taught the word, and paid for it in years of dismissed pain.

Sources: Department for Education Updated RSHE Statutory Guidance (2025) · Women and Equalities Committee Report HC 1265 (March 2026) · RCOG

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The findings

In our 2025 women’s health survey of over thirty participants, here’s what we uncovered.

36%

of women do not have a clear understanding of how they physiologically differ from men.

4 in 6

women feel they did not receive enough education on their own health when they were younger.

1 in 2

women experience daily minor health symptoms, with 9 in 10 women told regularly that they complain too much about them.

90%

of female participants overlook their own health symptoms after being dismissed by others.

60%

of women say they rely mostly on their intuition to assess their physical and emotional health.

6 in 10

experience anxious thoughts daily, and 9 in 10 report having them a minimum of once a month.

10%

of women have coping mechanisms for their anxiety.

70%

of women struggle with imposter syndrome in their personal and professional lives.