Perth and Kinross Council received 7700 responses to the Scottish Government’s controversial Health and Wellbeing Census which some councils opted out of issuing.
While responses revealed the majority of pupils who took part valued getting an education and felt confident, it also showed a large number felt pressured and about nine per cent always or often go to bed and school hungry.
A summary of key findings was provided within the Perth and Kinross Education Improvement Plan put before councillors at a meeting last month.
The Scottish Government’s Health and Wellbeing Census was issued to Perth and Kinross children aged P5 to S6 during terms two and three of 2021/22. Senior pupils in S4 to S6 were asked questions about drugs and sexual health and relationships - including how much sexual experience they had and which specific types of intercourse.
Several local authorities chose not to issue the survey. PKC pressed ahead with the survey. It did not go before councillors for a vote or debate.
A summary of some of the key findings - included in PKC's latest education improvement plan - went before the council's Learning and Families Committee on August 24.
Ninety per cent of Perth and Kinross children said getting an education was important to them. Thirty-nine per cent of P7s felt some or a lot of pressure. That rose to 65 per cent of S1-S4s.
Confidence was fairly high with 85 per cent of primary and 74 per cent of secondary pupils declaring they felt confident some of the time or more often. The majority - 97 per cent of primary and 94 per cent of secondary pupils - have a trusted adult they can share problems with.
While ninety-nine per cent have access to the internet at home around eight to nine per cent always or often go to school or bed hungry.
Conservative group leader John Duff asked how "useful" the information provided by pupils had been and how it would be used.
Executive director of Education and Children's Services Sheena Devlin said: "The census was carried out across respective primary stages and all of our secondary schools as well.
"The uptake of that was very high so that has given us really good information from the voices of young people which of course is really important to understand from their perspective what are the live issues as they see them. And also what areas of their lives are going well and what they would like to see improved."
She told the committee the council had carried out a "pretty detailed analysis so far" of the results received. Ms Devlin said that information would feed into the council's next strategy and action plan.
She offered to share a presentation of the Perth and Kinross findings and how that information is being implemented with the committee at a later date. Cllr Duff said that would be "helpful for all members". He suggested an invitation be extended to all councillors - not just those on the Learning and Families Committee. This was agreed.
Convener SNP councillor John Rebbeck said: "I was on the parent council at Our Lady's when Evidence2Success was first mooted and there was a lot of conversation about that. But I think the lesson to be learned is that evidence-based policy is the way to go. So I would back the wellbeing survey."
