Fife Council could be the latest to reject a controversial school sex survey asking children about sexual experience.
The Scotland-wide health and wellbeing census poses explicit questions many feel inappropriate to S4 to S6 pupils, but several local authorities have opted out amid concerns about content and confidentiality.
Labour councillors will propose on Friday that Fife Council calls for a review of the survey – already paused in the region due to concerns – by the Scottish Government and removal of individual tracking numbers.
They need only win support of the education and children’s services sub-committee’s three Conservative members for their bid to succeed.
The census has already been completed by senior pupils in Angus secondary schools, and Dundee and Perth and Kinross councils have also committed to it. It was supposed to be put to older Fife pupils before Christmas.
These are the questions causing concern:
Depending on their answers, pupils may then be asked:
Again, depending on earlier answers, pupils may then be asked:
The final question asks:
Fife Council co-leader David Ross said fellow Labour councillors and parents who had contacted them had serious concerns about the survey.
He said: “Whilst we recognise that many of the questions included in the survey are quite acceptable and the information gathered would be helpful in shaping services and support for young people, many of us have serious concerns about the intrusive and very personal nature of the questions on sexual activity, and drug and alcohol use.
“We are especially concerned that responses to the survey will not be truly anonymous and that it will be possible to track responses back to individual young people.
“Assurances from Scottish Government that this will only happen in rare circumstances are insufficient to address our concerns and we have no confidence that this information could not be used for other purposes than child protection. ”
The survey will be put to pupils from P5 upwards, but questions about sexual experience, alcohol and drugs are only for those in S4 to S6, and they or their parents or carers can opt out.
Although children will not be asked for their name, their Scottish candidate number will be on to their response.
A report by Fife education officers to the sub-committee states information collected would be “highly confidential and secure” and would not routinely be acted upon for individuals.
It also says the statistical data would help plan services for children and young people, and enhance knowledge in areas such as teenage pregnancies and STIs.
Officers also suggest amendments could be made to the survey to enhance filtering which prevents young people without sexual experience being asked more on the topic.
