Christina McKelvie, Holyrood’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee convener, said pupils across the secondary sector had highlighted the importance of personal and social education (PSE) classes but provision was patchy.
Some schools, including Catholic ones, were “brilliant” on PSE and LGBTI pupils but elsewhere the classes were “disturbing”, Ms McKelvie said, with particular concerns raised about certain Catholic schools.
She said: “A lot of young people have told me some horrendous stories about how PSE is used, especially going down a moralistic route as well, where a lot of young people feel really backed into a corner where their thoughts and feelings were not being respected. We’re hearing of young people who go down the route of self-harm, attempt and, in some cases, actually commit suicide.”
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