Sturgeon: I was bullied at school
BY ANDY PHILIP NICOLA Sturgeon has revealed she was bullied at school.
The First Minister spoke about her experience during a one-hour televised Q&A with children and young adults, which focused heavily on mental health issues.
Sturgeon said: “I went through periods at school of being bullied. I wouldn’t say it got to a really serious level that made me unable to go to school or scared to go to school.
“But I had experiences in primary school where it certainly was sufficient at one stage to involve a teacher.
“I think many people will have those experiences, and what’s good is to be able to be open about them and to come forward about them.”
Sturgeon said no one talked openly about mental health when she was at school.
In Parliament last week, she admitted that mental health services for children were not good enough. Her programme for government pledged £250million for improvements and counsellors in schools.
Meanwhile, Sturgeon faces a defeat on primary school testing next week as opposition parties turn up the pressure on the future of assessments for four and five-year-olds.
Teachers claim the tests leave some pupils in tears but the SNP are standing by the policy.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said she’ll bring a debate on the subject to Holyrood on Wednesday. Any vote would be non-binding but a defeat would put pressure on Sturgeon to drop the policy.