11 December 2025: The 2025 Young People’s RSE Poll by the Sex Education Forum published last week offers a hopeful message: young people are ready for deeper conversations about relationships. They want to understand their choices, feel confident navigating the world around them, and build the skills that support healthy, respectful connections.
In the national survey, 57% of 16- and 17-year-olds felt confident they had learnt what they needed to identify a healthy relationship, while 41% said they would welcome more support. And when asked what RSE would be most useful for 16–18s, one of the top answers was simply:
“How to tell if a relationship is healthy.”
Young people aren’t just looking for warnings about harm – they’re asking for guidance, clarity and positive skill-building, on and offline. With growing support for mandatory statutory RSE in all education settings to age 18, the poll illustrates why: young people want continued support as they reach the age they are most likely to experience relationship abuse.
Building a positive future
RSE is most effective when it helps young people explore not only the risks – such as pornography, intimate-image sharing or digital harms – but also the positive skills that underpin safe and fulfilling relationships. This balanced approach sits at the heart of LMK’s work with schools.
Each year, a growing number of schools partner with LMK to strengthen healthy relationships education for young people. Our 10 Signs Programme, an accessible, discussion-based workshop loved by schools, helps students recognise healthy behaviours, understand boundaries and build confidence.
Applying skills to modern risks: pornography & intimate image sharing
The poll also highlights that 53% of young people learnt nothing or “some but not enough” about pornography at school. With online content shaping expectations more than ever, young people need safe, age-appropriate opportunities to explore this topic through high-quality pornography education for secondary schools.
After completing 10 Signs, students can progress to LMK’s advanced workshops, including:
These sessions build on students’ foundational relationship knowledge, helping them think critically about consent, online behaviours, media influence and positive digital choices.
A positive path forward
The 2025 poll shows that young people want to understand healthy relationships, and schools are committed to giving them the best possible tools. LMK is proud to work alongside educators to empower young people with the knowledge, resilience and confidence they deserve to build healthier and happier relationships for life.
Find out more about how LMK’s 10 Signs workshop can support your school to deliver high-quality RSE.
Thank you to the Sex Education Forum for conducting and publishing this insightful research.
About the research
Research conducted by Censuswide, on behalf of Sex Education Forum between 15 October 2025 and 6 November 2025. The sample included 1001 young people aged 16 and 17 in England. For further information, refer to their press release.