Harlington Community School
DRUGS EDUCATION POLICY
PSHE Cordinator – Peter Richards
Safeguarding Lead Guy Clayton AHT
SDC is included within the remit of Debbie Pinnock,Family/School/Social Services Liaison
(Vulnerable students/Child protection cases/Attendance issues)
- Introduction
Harlington Community Schools policy takes full account of the current legislation and advice from the LEA (e.g. 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, 1988 Education Reform Act, Drug Prevention in Schools Circular 4/95 and Hillingdon Partnerships in Drugs Education”).
The aim of the drugs education policy is to give clear signals on a school’s position and role in the prevention of illegal drug taking and distribution and the provision it makes in the PSHE programme to educate its pupils about the dangers of drug taking. Any drugs education programme must be appropriate to pupils’ needs.
Some drugs are legal, such as alcohol, tobacco and solvents, and are sold over the counter as well as prescribed drugs for medical purposes. Other drugs are clearly illegal such as cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, crack/cocaine and LSD. The possession and use of drugs in school, or during extra-curricular activities, is unacceptable. They are not permitted to be bought, sold, or otherwise obtained on school premises or during the school day, including when pupils are on school visits. This applies to pupils and staff and any other adults on site. Schools should have secure systems in place to allow those who require prescription medicines to take them safely.
Rationale
It is the aim of Harlington School to help all pupils to be able to take their place safely in a world where a wide range of drugs exists. We recognise that some drugs have beneficial effects, but also that every drug has potential to harm. For this reason, all drugs need appropriate and responsible care and management. In order to be able to make informed choices, staff and pupils need to understand the nature of drugs, their social and legal status, their uses and effects.
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2. THE AIMS OF THE DRUGS POLICY AND PROCEDURES
For young people today, some of the “opportunities, responsibilities and experiences” they will include exposure to a range of drug taking, both legal and illegal. Schools need to educate and inform pupils about drugs if they are to make informed choices and avoid harming their bodies.
for our pupils:
• To have access to accurate information, knowledge and understanding about the drugs they could encounter in their lives.
• To have acquired a range of personal and social skills which will enable them to respond to drug situations
• To be able to evaluate critically the range of attitudes, values and beliefs in society about drugs in order to reach healthy, independent decisions
• To develop the self-esteem and self-image which will enhance their ability to discern and resist drug related pressures.
To inform about the use and misuse of drugs.
•To develop coping skills for managing different drug related situations eg, smoking, alcohol and illicit substances.
•To enable students to make informed choices regarding issues related to drugs.
for the school:
To support the school’s endeavour to maintain the safety and well-being of all pupils, staff and visitors
•To clarify legal responsibilities, entitlements and obligations
•To support all the members of the school community by providing clear guidance and procedures on drug related issues to ensure clarity and consistency
•To develop a whole school approach to drug education in the context of the school curriculum
• To involve the whole school community; staff, parents/carers and governors in the development of the drug policy and programme
• To continue with a consistent approach for delivering a high quality drug education and prevention programme
• To fairly, consistently and sensitively manage drug related incidents in school
• To maintain a consistent, integrated, whole-school approach to drugs in school
• To provide the content and make provision for a programme of drug education which reflects pupils needs, local circumstances and current knowledge
• To ensure the provision of appropriate training, development and support for all staff
• To monitor, evaluate and revise as appropriate, the drug education policy and programme
3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Role of the Governors
It is the Governors role:
• To support and encourage all staff in trying to identify and implement strategies that are most likely to work in the school and community.
• To ensure that necessary resources and training are made available
• To work with parents/carers and the community to promote a positive image of the school policy.
• To endorse the policy of the school by supporting the Head teacher and staff
• To monitor and review the implementation of the policy
The Role of the Head teacher
• To establish a policy and staff framework that provides guidance about the approaches to:
1. systems for pastoral support
2. drug education in the curriculum
3. dealing with drug related incidents
• To ensure that there is a named school drug co-ordinator and establish his or her role and responsibilities.
• To allocate appropriate resources
• To ensure that the policy is kept under review and amended as necessary
• To support and involve the drug co-ordinator in policy development
• To set a framework for the training of all staff, Governors and parents/carers
• To respond to drug related incidents or delegate to a senior member of staff
• To develop suitable strategies for liaison with the media
The Role of the School Drug Co-ordinator (The SDC)
• To implement the drug policy
• To identify the training needs of staff and inform the person responsible for staff development
• To order and co-ordinate resources
• To develop and co-ordinate the schemes of work
• To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and the schemes of work
• To liaise with outside agencies
• To ensure, with other relevant staff, that all pupils are given drug education that expresses the aims of the school policy
• To be informed about counselling and services available within the Borough
• To keep up to date with national developments
• To advise on school policy relating to drug incidents
• To be informed about drug related incidents and to provide help to students and parents/carers
• To record incidents and keep records
• To approach students who are thought to be ‘at risk’.
NB The SDC is not part, and should not be seen as being part of, any disciplinary or investigative process involving individual students, although it would be expected that he/she be consulted and may be involved in the investigation of drug related incidents.
All Staff
It is important to recognise that drug prevention should be seen as a whole school issue and that each member of staff both teaching and non-teaching has a part to play.
• Teachers will be aware that they provide role models for pupils and as such they can have a significant impact on the readiness of pupils to adopt responsible attitudes and behaviour in relation to drugs.
• It is expected that staff will normally observe pupils in class and around the school. These observations will be related to health and welfare, child protection and possible drug/substance abuse among others.
• Staff are expected to report their suspicions regarding drug abuse to the SDC either verbally or in writing.
• All staff have the responsibility to underpin the values of the school regardless of personal opinion.
*All staff are required to attend a whole school training session delivered by outside agency SORTED (Young Persons Health Agency Hillingdon Borough). This session gives staff clear outlines on legal responsibility, procedures and general information related to drugs.
4.EDUCATION
In response to shared concerns at local and national level, we wish to state that as part of our care for the welfare of our students, that Harlington believes it has a duty to inform and educate young people about the consequences of drug use and misuse. Harlington takes a pro-active stand on this matter, believing that health education is a vital part of the pastoral programme of every student.
We believe and support the following educational aims in respect of drug use:
• To enable students to make healthy and informed choices by increasing knowledge and challenging attitudes as part of a PSHE programme
• To provide accurate information about substances
• To increase understanding about the implications and possible outcomes of drug use
• To widen understanding about related health and social issues
• To seek to minimise the risks that users and potential users face
• To enable young people to identify sources of appropriate personal support both within school and externally
• To encourage outside speakers and experts to speak to our students
These aims are achieved through the taught curriculum, the informal curriculum and opportunities for extra-curricular activities. Harlington actively co-operates with external agencies such as the Youth and Community Police and a range of other outside agencies and professionals who deliver aspects of the curriculum during assemblies, discreet lessons or off-timetable PSHE drop down days.
5. PROCEDURES
5.1 RECORDING OF DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS
All drug related incidents, whatever form they take, must be accurately recorded, taking due account of confidentiality. The recording of facts and times is critical. Forms published by the SDC to enable accurate recording of incidents or possible incidents will be available in the Staff room and the medical welfare suite. Refer Apppendix A. These forms must be forwarded to the SDC immediately.
The SDC will make further enquiries and recommend a course of action to a member of SMT as appropriate. Sometimes staff may prefer to speak to the SDC about an incident, a suspected incident or concerns for a particular pupil.
Incidents which occur where a child is using prescribed drugs or proprietary drugs must also be recorded. Discussions will occur with the Welfare Assistants, pupils and parents/carers to reduce the risk of further incidents.
5.2 SEIZURE OF ITEMS OR SUBSTANCES
If a substance is discovered which is believed to be either illegal to possess or which is legal, but against the school rules to possess on the premises, the substance should be confiscated at the time of discovery, belay may put pupils or staff at risk.
The Misuse of Drugs Act allows schools to take possession of a substance suspected of being a controlled drug for the purpose of preventing another from committing an offence in connection with that drug.
It is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act for the occupiers or managers of a premises (eg. a school) to knowingly permit certain offences under the Act to take place on the premises for which they are responsible. This includes, for example, the sale of illegal drugs and the smoking of cannabis. The Act places a responsibility on Head teachers to take action if they are aware that such an activity is taking place.
If the substance is in the physical possession of a pupil, staff do not have a legal right to search that pupil with a view to recovery of the substance, without his/her consent. Pupils can be asked to surrender the substance or to “turn out their pockets” in front of the teacher. If the pupil refuses to do so, the matter will be referred directly to the Headteacher.
It is essential for an additional member of staff to be present as a witness so that the actions and conduct of staff can be verified at a later date if required.
The Head teacher or a nominated deputy should be informed immediately. All the staff involved should agree on the completion of the Drug Related Incident forms. Refer Appendix A.
5.3 STORAGE OF SEIZED SUBSTANCES
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Any substance which is seized must be stored in the headteacher’s safe. it should be separately packaged with the date, time and place of finding noted upon the packaging. The finder should sign his/her name on the packaging and such action should always be witnessed by a colleague who should also sign as a witness. This could be of particular importance were a criminal investigation to follow at a later date. The type of packaging used should be of sufficient standard to prevent anyone tampering with the contents.
The SDC should be consulted about storage of substances and the recording of the relevant information.
Substances will normally be stored in the Head Teachers secure store.
Careful consideration should be given to the storage of solvents. Some solvents give off powerful fumes or react to heat; storage in a confined area could therefore create a health and safety risk.
5.4 ANALYSIS OF SUBSTANCES
Once a substance has been seized, or ‘found’ on the school premises it is important that it first be identified. If it is a medication which has been brought onto school premises then identification may be an easy task. But with some substances this will not be such a simple process. Finders must not try or taste anything seized or found in order to identify it, for to do so may involve considerable risk. The Drug Education Team offer the fastest method of analysis but the substance may be referred to the Metropolitan Police Forensic Laboratory. Usually contact with the Police will be via the Youth and Community Section at West Drayton Police Station.
5.5 POLICE INVOLVEMENT
Head teachers are “in loco parentis”, which places responsibility on them for the welfare of pupils. If a pupil is found in possession of a substance prohibited by law or school rules, school actions should reflect this responsibility. Harlington co-operates with the Police and the headteacher may take the decision to inform the police.
Solutions need to be reached which respect the interests of that pupil and the whole school. There may be occasions when police intervention will be necessary for these aims to be achieved. Police involvement need not necessarily mean that the pupil would be criminalised.
5.6 DRUGS AND THE MEDIA
During the past few decades, drugs have attracted considerable media attention. This interest has often focuses on sensation and tragedy, varying from celebrity drug taking to incidents in schools. It would appear that this reporting has done little to dissuade young people from experimenting, and sometimes the sensationalising is interpreted as attractive and exciting.
Naturally schools fear unwanted media interest in drug related incidents and the confidentiality of the individual and the family should always be protected. A suggested procedure for dealing with the media in relation to managing a drug related incident is as follows:
• staff should report any awareness of media attention immediately to the Head teacher
• the headteacher will decide upon a suitable course of action with regards to the media and no individual member of staff should speak to the media without first consulting the headteacher.
6.0 MANAGING INCIDENTS
ACTION BY PUPILS
Pupils who
a] become aware of drugs in school
b] are offered drugs for sale
c] have specific information which they feel they would like to tell adults about
- should know that they can either tell any member of the teaching or non-teaching staff that they feel confident with or approach the SDC directly. They should also know that absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed because the adult they have disclosed to also has responsibilities. However, students should feel confident that the welfare of all pupils and staff is at the very heart of the school’s drug policy.
d] find suspect pills or substances
- should inform a member of staff immediately. The member of staff should pass them to the SDC at the first available opportunity. The 5bC will ask the member of staff for a written report of the circumstances.
e] suspect that someone is currently under the influence of drugs - should, in the interests of safety and welfare, inform a member of staff without delay.
ACTION BY STAFF (teaching and non-teaching)
If staff become involved in dealing with a drug incident they should not be expected to act alone or in isolation. Staff will realise that a variety of incidents that occur in school could, upon investigation by management, be considered to be a ‘drug-related incident’. Inevitably the Head teacher takes responsibility but both management and staff should expect the support and expertise of the SDC in any situation. There may be occasions when staff may need additional support and counselling to negate the trauma of drug incidents in the school community.
STAFF SUSPECT A PUPIL OF BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS
If there is the slightest suspicion that a pupil may be under the influence of drugs, staff should seek prompt medical advice and assistance. * There is no general rule as to the effects of drug use on people. Behaviour or moods may change, eye pupil size may change, the level of consciousness may alter, the individual may be sick. The effects of what they have taken may only just be starting, with the possibility that the pupil’s condition may deteriorate. Staff should follow this procedure: