St Kentigern's Academy death: First Minister Humza Yousaf offers condolences and says it's 'the worst tragedy'

Linlithgow MSP Fiona Hyslop raises tragedy at First Minister’s Questions

First Minister Humza Yousaf has said the death of a teenage boy at St Kentigern’s Academy in Blackburn is “the worst tragedy”.

He offered the condolences of “the entire government" to the boy’s family. And he said there may be lessons for government to learn as well as for the council and schools. An investigation is still under way into the circumstances of the 14-year-old’s death on Tuesday, but the boy’s family has said he was being bullied.

The boy’s death was raised at the Scottish Parliament during First Minister’s Questions by Fiona Hyslop, SNP MSP for Linlithgow. She said: “There’s a family in my constituency who are facing unimaginable heartache as the son they sent to school this week tragically died. I won’t speculate on the causes while the authorities investigating are yet to report. Can the First Minister reassure me that any lessons from this will be shared?” She also appealed for the family to be given privacy at such a painful time.

First Minister Humza Yousaf and Linlithgow MSP Fiona Hyslop urged an end to speculation over the boy' death at St Kentigern's Academy

Mr Yousaf replied: "This is the worst tragedy. Anybody who is a parent will know there cannot be a worse fear, a worse nightmare that any parent has than losing a child, so I cannot think what the family are going through. But I know that the whole community, including the school community, has been deeply affected. Of course, lessons should be learned, not just by the local authority and educational institutions but there may well be lessons for government to consider as well.”

He echoed Ms Hyslop’s call for the family to be given privacy to grieve and urged people not to speculate over the death. And he said: “I want to end by paying my personal, and indeed the condolences and respects of the entire government to the family affected.”