Scottish independence: Councils bar 'Yes' and 'No' campaigns from schools
The official referendum campaigns are being barred from the majority of schools in Scotland ahead of polling day, BBC research has found.
Twenty-six of the country's 32 councils will restrict access to Yes Scotland and Better Together.
However, most councils said pupils would be able to talk about the referendum in school.
For the first time in the UK, 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland - the majority of whom attend high school - can vote.
The findings come on the first day of "purdah" which curbs what public bodies can do during election periods.
In the lead up to the referendum on 18 September, governments and local authorities are restricted on what new projects they can announce and legislate on, for fear of influencing the way people vote.
Many councils north of the border are applying those "purdah" rules to referendum debate activities in schools.
|What are the policies of Scottish councils?|
|Authority name||Have campaign groups been barred?|
|Dumfries and Galloway||Yes|
In four weeks time, Scotland's electorate will be asked the "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"
The BBC Scotland research found the majority of local authorities had chosen to limit access to campaign groups in the coming weeks, and were strictly adhering to guidelines outlined in the Referendum Act.
Six councils - Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Orkney, Shetland Islands, and Western Isles - said they would allow the Yes Scotland and Better Together campaigns access to their students during this 28-day period.
Electoral Commission guidelines stipulate what materials may not be published by public bodies, but they do not specifically address whether campaigns can visit schools and interact with pupils ahead of polling day.
A commission spokesman told BBC Scotland it was up to each local authority to decide how to approach the pre-referendum period.
Orkney Council, which has not barred Yes Scotland and Better Together, stressed that any activity on school premises would need to be balanced in the countdown to polling day.
A statement said: "In the interests of even-handedness, both sides of the debate would have to be involved in any such visit.
"This would also have to take place outside class time and would have to be short."
What is the purdah period?
"Political purdah means different things for different people.
"For ministers, in the run-up to an election, it places a curb upon their natural desire to evangelise their undoubted talents to the citizens at public expense.
"For civil servants, it can provide a welcome relief - from the ever helpful advice offered by ministers. A chance to get on with governing the country, free from unwarranted interruption. And, of course, to prepare for the next administration - of whatever political hue.
"More seriously, purdah refers to the specified period prior to an election when governments desist from making announcements designed to impress the people and, thus, win votes for their party."
The Better Together campaign questioned the approach by many councils to limit access to schools.
A statement from the group said: "The decision we take on 18 September will determine the future of Scotland's young people, so it's vital that those with the vote get to hear all of the facts and the arguments.
"For young Scots the idea of creating barriers and limiting their opportunities makes no sense."
A spokesman for Yes Scotland said the issue of schools hosting referendum debates was a matter "for local councils to administer".
He added: "Yes Scotland is always happy to accept invitations to debate."
What are the issues of the referendum?
As the people of Scotland weigh up how to vote in the independence referendum, they are asking questions on a range of topics, from welfare to pensions. In a special news website series, we take a look at those major questions and by using statistics, analysis and expert views shining a light on some of the possible answers. Our correspondents have already written about how broadcasting, oil, education, trident and debt fit into the referendum debate.
- Follow all the latest news, views and analysis about broadcasting and the referendum by going to the issues section of our Scotland Decides page.
Many councils said that while the two campaigns would not be allowed into schools now, they had attended school debates earlier in the year.
Falkirk Council agreed upon a policy with head teachers that each secondary school should hold a referendum presentation between February and June, attended by two members from each campaign.
Tony McDaid, head of education at South Lanarkshire Council, said: "Over 500 young people from schools throughout South Lanarkshire took part in a debate on independence at Hamilton Town House in June.
"Representatives from the Yes and No campaign pitched their points to the audience of 16 and 17 year olds."
Last year all councils were issued with a joint briefing from key organisations including;
- The Association of Directors in Education Scotland
- Education Scotland; the Electoral Commission
- The Electoral Management Board for Scotland
- And School Leaders Scotland.
The briefing encouraged councils to ensure young adults were;
- Registered to vote,
- Were aware of how to vote on polling day
- Understood the key referendum issues
- And were made aware of other online resources.
At the start of 2014, all councils were issued with Education Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence briefing which informed teachers how to promote political literacy ahead of the referendum.
The BBC Scotland research found that five councils - Angus, Dundee, Highland, Moray and North Ayrshire - were placing the heaviest restrictions on their schools during the "purdah" period.
No school debates
In guidance notes issued to its schools, Angus Council stated: "Individual school mock hustings must be held prior to the pre-referendum period and in the course of session 2013 / 2014."
Similarly, a spokesman for Dundee council said: "We have organised a central referendum debate through the Dundee Youth Council which has already been held and all secondary schools were involved.
"We have agreed that there will be no individual school debates over and above this."
The remaining councils stipulated that while school debates were not permissible, general classroom discussion related to the referendum would be allowed.