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Move to reject controversial school sex survey in Fife amid anonymity fears

Councillors want to reject the school sex survey in Fife
Fife councillors have recommended rejecting the health and wellbeing survey.

A controversial survey asking school children about their sexual experiences should be blocked in Fife, councillors have said.

The national health and wellbeing census has been on hold in the region since December, amid widespread concern over the explicit nature of some of the questions..

Fresh fears were raised this week over how appropriate it was to ask youngsters to complete the survey in a classroom setting.

And concerns still remain over how the information will be used and whether it will remain anonymous.

Questions include how much sexual experience youngsters have, including whether they have had vaginal or anal sex.

There are also questions on alcohol consumption, diet, internet use and bullying.

While the survey would be for pupils in P5 and above, the section on sexual health would only be given to teenagers in S4 to S6.

And they would have the chance to opt out.

‘We should not be participating in this’

Councils in Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Angus have already gone ahead with the Scottish Government’s survey.

And some other Scottish local authorities went ahead but removed the section on sexual health.

One of the questions in the controversial survey.
The health and wellbeing census asks a number of questions relating to sex.

However, Fife councillors twice deferred a decision after expressing extreme concern.

And members of the education scrutiny committee have now recommended the entire document should be rejected.

The council’s cabinet committee will make a final decision on Thursday.

Labour councillor Linda Erskine said nothing had changed since the committee met in March.

“My view remains. We should not be participating in this,” she said.

‘It will help us understand the wellbeing of our young people’

Education officers argued the survey would help them target resources where they were needed.

Pam Colburn said: “The survey will help us understand the wellbeing of our young people and understand their needs.

“Gathering this information will give us a more accurate picture of young people’s wellbeing, especially after the pandemic, and help us support the recovery.

Councillor Alycia Hayes said the survey would be useful.

“The data will be owned by Fife Council and used in Fife.”

She added that most of the sexual health questions had been asked of young people through previous surveys and gave an assurance the information would be secure.

The education service’s stance was supported by some councillors who said it was important to know what was going on in youngsters’ lives.

SNP councillor Alycia Hayes said: “For the hard of understanding, if we do not ask the questions and therefore don’t get answers, how can we know to take action?”

School survey: ‘It’s clearly not anonymous’

However, others said the disadvantages outweighed the benefits.

Labour councillor Colin Davidson said there were other ways of supporting children in schools.

“We’re saying it’s anonymous but clearly it’s not anonymous,” he said.

“I would suggest there are too many unanswered questions and until they are answered we should recommend to the cabinet committee that this is rejected.”

The motion to reject the entire document was supported by nine votes to six.

Conversation