Anti-bullying activists argue that the database, which part of the national government’s anti-bullying campaign, will help teachers to identify potential student problems and prevent bullying. However, detractors of the new high-school database said it was tantamount to spying and inappropriately intrusive on pupils’ personal lives.

The database will contain sensitive details such as their sexuality, household income, and behaviour. The move is backed by the SNP as part of the Scottish Government’s anti-bullying campaign. Wallace High has set up a pilot scheme in which notes on pupils are distilled into mini data packages that are then circulated to teachers. The Government says the new scheme will help identify trends thereby preventing bullying before it becomes a problem.

Wallace High principal Scott Pennock defended the programme, stating: “At a glance, staff can get a sense of the composition of the class in front of them. The system will flag up any pastoral notes so teachers can see that this young person’s maybe got a family situation or concerns around a bullying issue. Our model is to have proactive programmes that negate bullying issues as fully as possible. It’s about holistic wellbeing and trying to put programmes in place that help to deal with those issues.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We welcome the approach taken by Wallace High to develop an anti-bullying policy promoting a proactive approach to prevention and supporting pupils’ health and well-being.”

Risk Data is Inaccurate and Wrongly Labels Pupils

Stuart Waiton a senior lecturer at Abertay University warned that this move would encourage teachers to take on the extra role of “quasi-social workers or therapists”. He noted that the scheme bore a similarity to the Named Person framework, which was struck down by the UK Supreme Court as it was deemed to contravene article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights. Waiton added that “they would be far better off focusing on the job of educating students rather than acting as Big Brother in the classroom”.

Alison Preuss of the Scottish Home Education Forum said: “Officially labelling children as victims and bullies and digitally sharing that insidious information helps nobody, particularly when it may be inaccurate or just staffroom gossip. Gathering sensitive personal data and handing it round is becoming a disturbing obsession of Scotland’s public sector. What business is it of schools how much money a child’s parent earn or who a teenager is attracted to?”

Griff Ferris of Big Brother Watch said that it was unfair to profile pupils, commenting: “Children make mistakes and should be allowed to do so without being blacklisted.”

Despite the highly sensitive nature of the data, there has been very little indication as to how the schools will protect the students’ information, which can be easily accessed via a teacher’s laptop. If such data was leaked it could be devastating for the pupils involved. It also raises the question as to what rights the children have to privacy since this scheme does not appear to have the choice to opt out.

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