Drug Awareness for Primary
Schools
Richard Boxer
Drug Education Consultant
Safeguarding:
Drug
Education
Health & Well-Being
Team
(CSF)
Richard Boxer, Drug Education Consultant
Drug Education & Safeguarding
• How does Drug Education provide
learning opportunities for pupils to develop
knowledge, skills, and understanding in
relation to safeguarding?
• How does the Ofsted framework enable
schools leaders to evaluate safeguarding
within the curriculum?
Aims of Drug Education
• Minimise the number of young people
engaging in drug use.
• Delay the onset of first use.
• Reduce the harm caused by drugs.
• Enable those who have concerns about
drugs to seek help and know how to do so.
Learning opportunities
• Through cross-curricular lessons identifying the
cultural / historical / sociological impact of
substance misuse on wider society.
• Exploring risk-taking behaviours and attitude
development as well as basic drug knowledge.
• Improving self worth & self esteem, promoting
diversionary activities and the benefits of a
healthy lifestyle.
• Ability to resist peer pressure and empowering
pupils to take responsibility for their own actions.
Learning opportunities (continued)
• Participate in school decision making process
via drug policy input / spending PSHE budget.
• Peer mentoring development.
• Choices & decisions about their learning via
suggestion boxes, evaluation & feedback.
• Ensuring resources are up to date & relevant.
• Input from external trainers / educators such as
School Nurse, Connexions PA, Police
Community Support Officer, local drug & alcohol
services.
• Identifying sources of help & support and how to
access these services (both local & national).
“All schools have a responsibility to identity
the pupils who have drug related needs, and
in particular those who may need a more
detailed assessment of the circumstances
surrounding their involvement with drugs and any
underlying vulnerabilities that would benefit from
skilled intervention. Schools could use the
Common Assessment Framework to identify the
needs of pupils.”
- Drugs: Guidance for Schools (Dept of Education)
(draft Edition 2)
Drugs & Ofsted framework
How safe do the pupils feel in school?
 Resistance to peer pressure / bullying to try drugs.
 Input into and understanding of school drug policy – esp.
drug related incidents.
 Prompt responses to incidents and implementation of appropriate
support mechanisms.
 Assessing and managing risks.
 Involvement of wider school community.
 Early intervention and appropriate access to support services.
Evidence for SEF
• Pupil feedback from questionnaires / suggestion boxes
has influenced curriculum content.
• School Council decisions have influenced content of
school drug policy.
• Peer mentoring has improved confidence and boosted
self esteem of younger pupils.
• Number of exclusions for smoking / drinking / drug taking
have fallen.
• HRBQ data shows improved levels of pupil awareness,
and decrease in number of pupils drinking / smoking.
• Staff have received CPD drug awareness training and
feel more confident in delivery of lessons / responding to
incidents.
• Lesson evaluations show progression of pupil’s
knowledge, skill & attitude development.
Evidence for SEF (continued)
 Display boards and assemblies reinforce health and
wellbeing themes. E.g. FRANK resources / Adolescent
Drug & Alcohol Service for Herts (ADASH).
 Pupil drug & alcohol issues identified early and
interventions implemented in partnership with
appropriate support agencies. Impact of this work is
tracked through individual case studies.
 Pupils demonstrate a thorough understanding of the
importance of making informed choices on a range of
healthy lifestyle issues through participation in healthy
living themed weeks, drug awareness days / events and
participation in cross-curricular lessons. 100% of pupils
report the school helps them to be healthy.
Evidence for SEF (continued)
 Healthy lifestyle data is analysed and this has led to the
establishment of a range of targeted programmes for
vulnerable pupils. Monitoring & evaluation of these
demonstrates that a significant majority of pupils have
much higher levels of engagement in their learning with
a direct impact on achievement at the end of each key
stage.
 The school is an accredited Healthy School with a
completed and approved Annual Review and has
engaged with Healthy Schools Enhancement Model.
Richard Boxer
Drug Education Consultant &
Chair of Herts Drug Education Forum
richard.boxer@hertscc.gov.uk
01438 844044