Pupils complete ‘explicit’ census on sex

Some schoolchildren in Angus have already completed a controversial survey which asks them about sexual experience.

As pressure mounts on the Scottish Government to scrap or postpone the health and wellbeing census, it emerged some pupils in the area were issued with it this week.

Questions in the survey for S4-S6 pupils – a few of whom will still be only 14 years old – include “how much, if any, sexual experience have you had?”.

Multiple choice answers include “oral sex” and “vaginal or anal sex”.

The explicit nature of parts of the census administered by local authorities has shocked some parents and prompted calls for it to be halted – the latest from Scotland’s children’s commissioner.

However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stood by the research, which is intended to collect data for informing policy and improving services.

One Angus parent said: “To say I was surprised when my daughter came home and said there had been this survey that seemed to be masquerading as a ‘health and wellbeing survey’ would be an understatement, particularly when I heard some of the questions being posed.

“My daughter had no knowledge of some of the things she was being asked about.

“Personally, as an adult, I would have been embarrassed answering questions of the nature of whether or not I had indulged in certain sexual practices.”

Angus Council previously indicated that the census would be put to senior pupils before Christmas and to P5-S3 pupils between January and March, with parents given information in advance.