SCHOOLS have been accused of promoting a culture of elitism based on how talented pupils are at sport.

An MSP also suggested PE teachers had been complicit in fuelling such an elitist classroom culture in the past.

The accusation came during a discussion on classroom bullying at the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities Committee.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for the Edinburgh Western constituency, said teachers had backed his view despite a denial by national agency Sportscotland.

Herald View: Schools must recognise the contribution of every pupil

It came amid concerns raised about how homosexual pupils were treated at Catholic schools when raising the prospect of bullying.

Barbara Coupar, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said Catholic high schools in Scotland will have a “safe space” for LGBTI pupils to ensure they can report cases of bullying.

Speaking about his schooling, Mr Cole-Hamilton said it was “normal” for pupils to be “sifted into those who could play [sport] and those who couldn’t”.

He said: “That determined who was picked last for certain team games and who wasn’t and that went right through to secondary school.

“It was almost a received wisdom amongst the physical education staff that there was the elite and there were the guys that you just found something to do with in the hour of PE.

“I spoke to Sportscotland and they were quite vehement in their denial that this was the case, but I went to a primary school yesterday and they said it was absolutely still the case.”

Read more: Councils appeal to opposition leaders in budget crisis as cuts campaign kicks off

He added: “They banned football for three months because it was leading to a culture of elitism and people being excluded and they wanted to try and encourage the kids to try other forms of physical exercise and it was a very beneficial experience.”

However, Mary Berrill, a senior education officer with HM Inspectorate of Education, said there had been an increasing focus on the promotion of equality and diversity within schools over the past 10 years.

She said: “Teachers are increasingly aware that in terms of potential ability and attributes everybody varies and everyone has to be treated in a way they feel valued.

“Sometimes behaviours are imported from outside school... and it is very important that when staff see these behaviours that there is a very consistent approach with teachers.”

Following the committee meeting a spokesman for Sportscotland said it was investing significantly in a range of PE activities which would appeal to a variety of pupils.

He said: “We know the work we are doing in partnership with local authorities and the Scottish Government is having a positive impact on children’s activity levels in the delivery of PE.

“The extra-curricular active schools programme, which we are investing £50 million in over four years, reaches almost 300,000 pupils and we have seen year-on-year record levels. We would be delighted to show Alex the diverse range of sports and activities on offer in schools.”

Herald View: Schools must recognise the contribution of every pupil

Andrea Bradley, assistant secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union, added: “While Mr Cole-Hamilton touches on an important point about the importance of the inclusivity of the learning experience for children of all abilities “The personal experiences he [Mr Cole-Hamilton] cites are not an accurate reflection of current practice or of the professionalism of our PE teachers.”

The commitee also heard lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) pupils had raised particular concerns about the way they were treated at Catholic schools when raising issues of bullying.

Committee convener Christina McKelvie said MSPs had previously heard LGBTI pupils had self-harmed and even committed suicide after being bullied.

However, personal and social education (PSE) classes which were critical to helping pupils, were sometimes providing “disturbing” support.

Ms McKelvie said: “A lot of young people have told me some horrendous stories about how PSE is used, especially going down a moralistic route, where a lot of young people feel backed into a corner where they thought their thoughts and feelings were not being respected.

“We have heard teachers are not equipped to deal with LGBTI issues or misogyny because either it’s dealt with as a moralistic issue or it’s something that they don’t believe in.

“We would like to get some insight into that whether there is a recognition of these issues especially about LGBTI young people and what the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) are doing to address that without making young people feel as if they are committing a sin.”

Read more: Councils appeal to opposition leaders in budget crisis as cuts campaign kicks off

Barbara Coupar, director of SCES, said all Catholic schools would have a “safe space” for bullied pupils and insisted staff knew where pupils could go for help inside and outside the school.

She said: “That’s why we’re going down this avenue of ensuring that within all of our Catholic secondary schools that they would be able to go to someone, a trusted adult, a safe space within the school, where there would be someone who would have had that opportunity to be trained, for want of a better word, in order to be able to meet the needs of the young people in their care.”