Reviewing the school drug and alcohol policy

Responding appropriately to substance misuse and

taking a proactive role

Claire James

In contrast to what you might think from the

media...

Smoking, drinking and drug use are falling Trends among 14 year olds over the past decade.

20012002200320042005200620072008200920102011

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Ever taken drugs

Drank al-cohol in the past weekRegular smoker

Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in 2011, Office for National Statistics

However... 1 in 7 13 year olds say they have been drunk at least twice.1

1 in 10 15-16 year olds have had unprotected sex after drinking.2

1 in 5 15 year olds smoked cannabis in the past year (and 1 in 20 took a Class A drug).3

1. WHO (2012) Health behaviours in school-aged children

2. ESPAD (2009) The 2007 ESPAD report3. Fuller, E. (2012) Smoking, drinking and

drug use

Different schools face different challenges

Gangs

Parental drug use

Young people with money

to spend

Local drinking culture

Legal highs

Some pitfalls for the unwary

School strip search: Drugs found hidden in pupils' underwear

Private school rocked by drugs scandal

School excludes pupils over positive drugs tests

11 pupils barred in school drugs scandal

Schools can help safeguard pupils from drug and alcohol harms

By drug education that helps equip pupils with the knowledge and skills they need

By clear school rules and effective responses to drug incidents

By supporting pupils at risk of drug-related harm, and those with drug or alcohol misuse in their family

By raising pupils’ academic achievement and attachment to school – major protective factors

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ol d

rug

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Drugs: Guidance for schools (2004) 126 pages

Comprehensive guidance including drug education

Drug Advice for Schools (2012)14 pages

Summary of what is required in the drug policy, focusing on dealing with incidents and pastoral support.

Drug Advice for Schools: Key Points

Early access to support for pupils with drug or alcohol issues (or affected by family use)

A written drugs policy available to all staff

A senior member of staff to have responsibility for policy and liaising with the local police and support services.

Responding to drug related incidents

A school’s response is most effective when: it is supported by the whole school community; drug education is part of a well-planned

programme of PSHE education delivered in a supportive environment, where pupils are aware of the school rules, feel able to engage in open discussion and feel confident about asking for help if necessary;

staff have access to high quality training and support.

“

”

Toolkit for reviewing your drug and alcohol policy

Complements government guidance

Tools for consulting teachers, parents and pupils

Drug incident scenarios Checklist for reviewing

drug education

Functions of a school drug policy Clarify legal requirements and responsibilities Safeguard the health and safety of pupils and others Clarify the school’s approach to drugs for all inside

and outside the school Give guidance on drug education Enable staff to manage drug incidents Ensure a consistent approach, in line with school

ethos A basis for evaluating education, prevention and

incident management

Drug education Learning to manage risk – one of the factors Ofsted

look at in assessing behaviour Most effectively taught within a PSHE (life skills)

framework

Within the school drug policy:

How drug and alcohol education will be taught and how this fits with the school’s ethos;

How teaching approaches will develop pupils’ skills, attitudes and values, as well as their knowledge;

How the needs of all pupils will be taken into account; Policy on using external visitors; How drug education will be monitored and assessed

Policy revision and consultation Senior leadership

support Working group Key local contacts

identified Consultation with

school community – teachers, pupils parents

Pupils

Staff

Parents

Police

Local authority

Governors

Working group

Drug and alcohol services

Community

To discuss with police:

Is there a local protocol for managing incidents?

When the school could manage an incident internally and what support might be available

When police should be involved Dealing with suspected illegal substances Information-sharing Sharing information about

underage sales

Why consultation is important

• getting people to buy in to it• raising awareness and understanding during

the consultation process• making a better policy by talking through

issues with those who have to implement it.

Case study: Pupils at risk of exclusion consulted about school drug policy

A group of Year 10 pupils at risk of exclusion including both confirmed and suspected cannabis users were consulted about the school’s drug policy. They discussed the issue of informing parents/ carers when a pupil is found using cannabis at school and agreed that this would be a deterrent if it were policy. The pupils gave suggestions about how young people should be questioned by the school and what support could be offered. Case study from Southwark LEA cited in Drugs: Guidance for schools, 2004

Just another piece of paper?

?... or a tool driving prevention and early intervention?There needs to be… Support from the senior leadership team Input from the whole school community Monitoring and evaluation

Case study: Impact of early interventionNottingham DrugAware

Clear policies and external support for early referrals, combined with curriculum based on needs assessment Increase in referrals to early intervention

services (outnumbering number of incidents) Reduction in permanent exclusions because of

drug and alcohol misuse Indications of reduced prevalence

What is Zero Tolerance?

“In this school, we will make every attempt to identify drug and alcohol issues before they become problematic. Zero tolerance means we will intervene quickly, every time, without hesitation and ensure that effective early intervention practice is used to respond to the issue.”

(Thanks to Anna Power, Nottingham Early Intervention Team, for this definition)

Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service

Guidance for schools and practitioners on drug and alcohol education

Guidance on prevention and early intervention, including family misuse.

Shared resources and good practice Local and national networking Research and policy informationwww.mentoruk.org.uk/resources/schoolsclaire.james@mentoruk.org