Exclusive:Sex education removals quadruple in the wake of Scottish Parliament gender reform debate

Hundreds of pupils have been taken out of sex education classes at school by their parents in recent years.

The number of children being pulled out of school sex education lessons more than quadrupled in the wake of the gender reform debate, The Scotsman can reveal.

A number of councils also received official complaints from parents for including transgender issues in lessons.

Since 2019/20, at least 2,382 primary school children and 181 secondary school pupils were removed from these classes by their parents. In this academic year alone, at least 654 primary and 94 secondary pupils were taken out of school sex and relationships education in Scotland.

A protestor outside the Scottish Parliament | Press Association

And the number is almost certain to be far higher, with both Edinburgh and Glasgow councils rejecting requests via Freedom of Information (FOI) to supply their figures.

Figures obtained by The Scotsman through a FOI request show at least 74 primary school pupils were removed from sex education lessons in 2019/20, increasing to 115 in 2020/21 and 204 in 2021/22.

However, the number more than doubled in 2022/23 to 427 - the same year the Gender Recognition Reform Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament. The numbers more than doubled again to 908 in 2023/24.

At secondary school level, the numbers increased from at least ten in 2019/20 to 12 in 2020/21 and 13 in 2021/22. The removals then jumped to at least 20 in 2022/23, 32 in 2023/24 and 94 in 2024/25.

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In December 2022, a majority of MSPs in Holyrood passed the gender reform bill, which aimed to make it easier for trans people to legally change their gender.

The legislation aimed to do this by reducing the amount of time a person needed to spend in their acquired gender, lowered the age limit from 18 to 16, and removed the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, known as self-ID.

It sparked massive protests both in and outside of the Parliament, and the Bill was eventually blocked by the former Conservative UK government and never received royal assent.

Former first minister Humza Yousaf tried to challenge the decision in the courts. The Scottish Government is expected to on Wednesday learn a verdict from the Supreme Court after a legal challenge from the campaign group For Women Scotland on the definition of a woman.

Earlier this year The Scotsman exclusively revealed the SNP would now not be drawing up revised gender recognition laws.

In 2022/23, Argyll and Bute Council received an official complaint for teaching transgender issues at primary school level. Scottish Borders Council also received a complaint in 2023 from a parent who had taken part in the protests against the gender reform bill outside the Scottish Parliament.

The parent said she "believes the teachings of different gender identities to be the sexual indoctrination of children” and was “furious” as she claimed her daughter was told by her teachers not to tell her parents what she had learned in sex education.

She said this had “created clear confusion in her daughter”, with the parent saying she “firmly believes her daughter should not be taught certain things about sexuality and gender identity until she is older”.

Scottish Borders Council said it upheld the complaint and the parent then refused to attend any further meetings with the school.

The local authority received a further complaint last year for including “information regarding transgender, which we do not feel is appropriate” in sex education lessons. The council branded this complaint invalid.

While most of the reasons for removing a child were classed as “religious”, other pupils were removed because parents did not deem the content age-appropriate, children were being shown content intended for older classes, due to objections to the use of “real-life images” of male and female bodies, and over content leaving children “traumatised”.

Argyll and Bute Council received a complaint in 2023/24 “because the sex education content shown to the children by the teacher was for the wrong year group”. Another complaint received in 2024/25 said the “revision of body parts introduced real-life images of male and female bodies, which some parents deemed inappropriate and traumatising”.

In the Scottish Borders, seven children were removed over the past five years as their parents felt they were too young for the lessons. East Renfrewshire Council said some primary four pupils were removed because the videos being used were too detailed.

In North Ayrshire Council, one secondary school pupil was removed from class in 2023/24 as their parents felt the content was not age-appropriate. Perth and Kinross Council saw at least one pupil removed from classes in 2020/21 and three in 2021/22 because parents were unhappy with the content of the lessons.

Renfrewshire Council also saw children removed from classes as parents felt they were too young and the content was inappropriate, and another because they did not want their child to learn the language being used.

The local authority also received two complaints at primary school level and two at secondary school level in 2023/24 for not informing parents of the lessons in advance. One parent of a primary school pupil complained in 2022/23 for teaching sex education without parental consent.

Parents also removed children from lessons at South Lanarkshire Council as they felt the lessons were not age-appropriate. Some pupils were removed from sex education lessons because of additional support needs or anxiety, with some offered one-to-one lessons instead.

Almost all of the local authorities that responded to The Scotsman’s request for information experienced a jump in the number of primary school pupils being removed from class between 2021/22 - the year before the gender reform debate - and 2023/24.

This includes Aberdeen, Argyll and Bute, Borders, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Fife, North Ayrshire, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and the Western Isles.

Some of the biggest increases were recorded in the Western Isles, where the number of primary school pupils being removed from sex education classes jumped from just two in 2021/22 to 114 in 2023/24.

Other large increases of 28 to 127 amongst primary school pupils were seen in South Lanarkshire, 41 to 152 in Renfrewshire, and nine to 59 in East Dunbartonshire.

Of the councils that responded, the largest number of removals at primary school level were 404 in Renfrewshire, 347 in South Lanarkshire,195 in Dundee and 162 in East Dunbartonshire.

At secondary school level, the highest numbers were 45 in Renfrewshire, 44 in South Lanarkshire and 32 in South Ayrshire.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Relationships, sexual health and parenthood education equips young people with the knowledge and understanding of issues such as consent, appropriate relationships and boundaries. This can play a crucial role in reducing instances of gender-based violence.

“While local authorities are responsible for the delivery of relationships, sexual health and parenthood education in schools, national guidance states that it must be age and stage appropriate, and is presented in a sensitive manner.

“The Scottish Government is finalising updated guidance, which will be published before the end of 2025. This makes clear that it is good practice for schools to regularly involve parents and carers in discussions around curriculum content.”

The Scottish Greens said it was “really concerning” so many children were being prevented from accessing sex education at school.

Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said: “Children have a right to education, and sex education is vital to help them not only understand their own bodies, but also so they know when someone might be inappropriate with them. Education keeps them safe.

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman was a key player in the debate on women in sport (Picture: John Devlin) | John Devlin/National World

“It was very clear during evidence sessions for GRR that young people who had questions were looking for education and information provided to them in a safe and trusted environment. That is what schools should be offering.

“Parents restricting access to age-appropriate information through classes at school and also restricting access to that safe environment leaves their young people open to doing research online and getting involved in communities that may well be inappropriate for their age, rather than bringing their questions to teachers in a safe, judgment-free classroom.

“It means that children and young people are also being removed from learning about body safety, bodily autonomy, consent, emotions and how they interact with others throughout their lives.”

Ms Chapman told The Scotsman that at primary school, the lessons covered “basic conversations on boundaries and consent”, adding these were “important” so children could keep themselves and others from harm.

She said this type of education was particularly crucial in tackling misogynistic behaviour amongst children.

However, Roz McCall, the Scottish Conservatives’ children and young people spokeswoman, said: “Parents should always be able to decide whether this sort of material is age-appropriate for their child.”

Neale Hanvey, deputy Alba leader, said sex education was an important part of children’s development, but he said the data was “unsurprising”.

Neale Hanvey at his adoption meeting for Alba at the recent General Election (Pic: Cath Ruane) | Cath Ruane

He said this was partly down to gender reforms, but also due to a controversial census that was dubbed a “school sex survey”.

In 2021 and 2022, many schools asked pupils to carry out a health and wellbeing survey, which asked children as young as 14 “highly intrusive and inappropriate questions” about their sexual experiences.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth was later forced to pause this census after it was revealed the data gathered from these surveys was being advertised for use by external researchers.

Mr Hanvey said: “Parents must be regarded as active partners in such matters and have the right to know what their children are being taught and be able to decide what is acceptable, particularly on sensitive topics such as sexual health.

“It is unsurprising that there has been a sharp rise in pupil withdrawal from sex education as it reflects a growing lack of trust, especially in the context of recent gender policy difficulties and the Scottish Government’s so-called ‘sex survey’ of pupils in 2021.

“To rebuild confidence, schools must engage meaningfully with parents to ensure content is clearly communicated and appropriate for each stage of learning and all data gathered from pupils remains confidential and beyond the scope of third parties.”