BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING ...YOUR KIDS
‘Sinister’ census of pupils – and if they give ‘wrong’ answer parents face visit from social services
SCOTTISH pupils are to be quizzed about every detail of their home lives in a ‘highly intrusive’ census that could mean parents are reported to social workers.
Children will be asked about how much junk food they eat, how much television they watch, whether they get enough sleep and whether they argue with their families.
Secondary students will also be questioned on their sex lives and whether they smoke, drink or take drugs.
Youngsters will be asked about the ‘positive activities’ they take part in, their ‘resilience’, and whether they suffer from physical or mental health conditions. Participants are promised anonymity – but responses which cause ‘concerns’ can trigger contact from social workers.
The Scottish Government’s ‘health and wellbeing census’ aims to ensure Ministers can implement better policies to help children. But Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘It’s highly intrusive and likely to encourage children to be selfanalytical. That in itself is a recipe for unhappiness.
‘There’s a sinister element to this. The intrusion into family life – which transparently is the case, they’re asking children to reflect on their relationship with parents and with family – many parents will see as an overbearing state more akin to what you might find in an authoritarian, totalitarian regime.
If this was coming out of North Korea, one might say, well that’s what you might expect.’
He added: ‘The best way of ensuring wellbeing is to ensure children are well educated and allow them to succeed – academically, at sport, music and drama.
‘But the intrusion into family life, the intrusion into personal life – it’s very unhealthy. What I found in 35 years of teaching is that children who didn’t realise they had a problem find they have a problem as a result of this sort of interference in their personal life.
‘When you ask them about their sexual wellbeing, or relationships, or whatever, it enhances their concerns and actually is a trigger for children who may be vulnerable. This is actually putting children’s wellbeing in danger, not helping them.’ The controversial plans were revealed last week in a report by the public spending watchdog Audit Scotland.
That paper found the SNP had failed in its defining mission to close the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils.
It said the ‘Scottish Government is planning to introduce a new health and wellbeing census to provide better information’.
Under the proposals – delayed from last year due to the pandemic – children from P5 upwards will be asked a number of questions.
During class they will fill in an online questionnaire on some 28 different topics, including exercise and diet, ‘general wellbeing’, physical or mental health conditions and ‘sleep patterns’. It also lists ‘relationships with family’, ‘relationships with parents/carers’, ‘resilience’ and ‘involvement in positive activities’.
Pupils as young as 12 (S2 upwards) will be asked about alcohol and smoking, while those 14 (S4) and up will be quizzed about drugs and ‘relationships and sexual health’.
Local authorities will carry out the census and share the responses with the Government. Data collected will include a pupil’s unique Scottish Candidate Number.
Guidelines say data will not be ‘routinely used to take any direct actions on individual children’.
But the Government states online that if analysts ‘see anything in the answers provided... that raises some concerns, they may need to do something to help’.
It adds: ‘This would be the only time the identity of individual
‘A trigger for children who may be vulnerable’
If this were coming out of North Korea, one might say, well that’s what you would expect
‘Quizzed on relationships and sexual health’
children and young people would be sought.’
Piers Shepherd, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘Areas such as relationships with parents and family are deeply personal and while there is a right of opt-out, it is likely children will feel pressured to take part and possibly to divulge sensitive information.
‘The census has the potential to be highly intrusive into family life.’
Scottish Tory education spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘Our children have endured so much this past year, so a proper assessment of their wellbeing is worthwhile.
‘But any such assessment must be led by health professionals, put parents at front and centre of the process, and set clear boundaries to prevent officials from overreaching with their questioning.’