Where's The Harm?

The Where's the Harm in RSHE? conference took place in June 2026 and brought together secondary schools and partner agencies from across Lancashire to support the delivery of high-quality Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). The event was kindly sponsored by Smokefree Lancashire.

A total of 72 delegates from schools, educational settings and partner organisations attended, providing an excellent opportunity to showcase Lancashire County Council Public Health commissioned services and wider partner offers. The conference focused on strengthening multi-agency collaboration within secondary education to address safeguarding issues, curriculum development and emerging risks affecting young people.

The day opened with a powerful and thought-provoking performance from spoken word artist Nathan Parker, whose engaging contribution set the tone for the conference.

Sarah Gabbett from the PSHE Association delivered an insightful presentation outlining the national RSHE landscape, while Jen Macdonald, Lancashire County Council PSHE Lead, provided a comprehensive overview of local developments and priorities across Lancashire. Delegates also heard valuable insights from a range of key partner organisations that support the PSHE curriculum, highlighting the breadth of resources, expertise and support available to schools.

As part of the conference, a podcast was recorded on the day to capture key messages, reflections and learning from speakers and partners. A huge thank you goes to Sarah Gabbett, Jen Macdonald and all of the partner representatives who kindly contributed their time and expertise to the recording. The podcast provides an excellent opportunity for colleagues unable to attend to benefit from the discussions and insights shared throughout the event.

To close the event, Nathan Parker returned with a reflective spoken word performance that captured the key themes and messages from the day. His contributions were extremely well received and provided delegates with a memorable conclusion to the conference.

The event successfully strengthened partnership working between education settings and external agencies. Feedback indicated that schools left with increased confidence in delivering RSHE, while partner organisations gained a greater understanding of the challenges and needs within schools. The inclusion of creative elements, such as spoken word performances, helped foster a deeper emotional connection to the subject matter and enhanced engagement throughout the day.

Given the positive feedback from delegates and partners alike, we hope that Where's the Harm in RSHE? will become an annual event, continuing to bring together education professionals and partners to share learning, strengthen collaboration and support the delivery of high-quality PSHE and RSHE across Lancashire.

Find below some supporting resources from the Conference.