|
Shock headlines stating that children as young as nine have been
found dealing in the playground make it easy to believe that
schools have become dens of dealing, dragging, snorting and
popping. But what is the situation really like? Do schools need
criminal-style drugs enforcement and are private schools really
drug testing at every opportunity?
The latest research from the British Crime Survey (BCS) suggests
that the use of any illicit drug among people aged 16 to 24
years old actually decreased between 1998 and 2005/06. During
the same period, Class A drug use remained stable. That's still
a chunk of young people out there using or experimenting, but
things aren't escalating in the way sensationalist headlines
might indicate.
The BCS estimates that 45.1 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds have
used one or more illicit drugs in their lifetime, 25.2 per cent
have used one or more illicit drugs in the last year and 15.1
per cent in the last month. Cannabis remains the drug most
likely to be used, followed by cocaine.
Knife crime, drugs and alcohol
In July, Sir Alan Steer's Behaviour Review stated that, despite
concern over the dangers of alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse and
current concerns over youth knife crime, standards of behaviour
in schools have risen and continue to rise. This helps to
explain why, on the whole, schools have rejected drug
testing.Alcohol and drug problems can be devastating
Martin Ward, the deputy general secretary of the Association of
school and College Leaders (ASCL) says there's no great need for
it in most schools. "Drugs are rarely consumed at school," he
says. "Much more common are the problems associated with
alcohol. This is not often consumed during the school day, but
hangovers and the effects of accidents and fights while under
the influence the night before can have a very damaging effect."
Some state schools have experimented with a drug testing regime.
Much publicity was given to the Abbey School, a comprehensive in
Faversham, Kent, which introduced random testing for a year's
trial in 2005. Each week, 20 pupils were selected by computer to
have mouth swabs taken. These were sent to a laboratory to be
tested for cannabis, speed, ecstasy, heroin and cocaine use.
After conducting 270 tests, the school said only one was
positive and the initiative was scrapped.
Drug testing at private schools
Over the past decade, drug testing has been part of private
school life. A survey by the Headmasters' and Headmistresses'
Conference (HMC) reported that nearly three-quarters of boarding
schools were carrying out a form of testing. This reflects the
fact that they are residential and, says Ward, "increases the
likelihood of drug-taking on school premises, while under the
care of the school."
Random testing is now only likely to be used in exceptional
circumstances where the randomness applies only to a pupil who
has been in trouble over drugs and is under a cloud of potential
expulsion. "If a pupil is caught using cannabis they're asked to
leave the school until they can pass a drugs test," says Andrew
Hunter, headmaster at Merchiston Castle School, a boy's day and
boarding school in Edinburgh. "In the 10 years I've been here,
we've done that with eight pupils and not one has been asked to
leave the school afterwards."
This is now far more typical of a school's approach to testing
where it forms part of a wider drugs policy and is used to keep
an eye on pupils who have already been found to be misusing
drugs. Or, with the consent of the parents and the pupil, to
establish whether suspected misuse is taking place.
Check a school's drug policy
Most schools have a drug policy available for parents and often
to anyone visiting a school's website. Caterham School, a co-ed
day and boarding school in Surrey, openly publishes this on its
website. Stowe School in Buckingham has available a policy
document that can be downloaded from its website.
Such policies demonstrate that managing and supporting students
who have been found using drugs is now viewed as a better
alternative to automatic expulsion. In 2005 the number of
independent schools that had a policy of expelling pupils with a
drug habit had more than halved since 2000. Merchiston Castle
has never employed random testing, preferring, if at all
possible, to foster trust.
"We focus on education, prevention and deterrent and setting an
example for others," says Hunter, but makes the point that
they're not complacent and that pupils need to understand that
any involvement with drugs puts at risk their place at the
school.
It can be a delicate balance. "It's very difficult to set a good
precedent but also look after individuals. Are they forgivable
or redeemable?" he asks. The exception at Merchiston and most
private schools is when a pupil is caught dealing. That
automatically results in expulsion.
Do drug tests work?
A study commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2005
and conducted by Neil McKeganey, Professor of Drug Misuse
Research at Glasgow University, concluded that there's little
proof that drug testing works, even in the US where random drug
testing has been used in schools for a while.
There are, however, plenty of concerns about the negative
consequences of testing.
These include the cost of testing, the legality of testing, the
problems of addressing a positive result, the undermining of
trust between pupils and teachers, a possible rise in truancy
among pupils most in need of help and a switch from soft to hard
drugs that are more difficult to detect. Testing also doesn't
distinguish between a first-time user and a hardcore user, may
produce false positives and only picks up a small, random
selection of pupils.
"We are completely opposed to drug testing in schools," says
Harry Shapiro of DrugScope, an independent organisation
dedicated to reducing drug-related harms and inform drug-related
policy. "It destroys trust between students and teachers and
there is no evidence that it reduces drug use among pupils.
Schools should be providing a safe environment where young
people who might have drug problems can voice their concerns. It
is also important to remember that most children in the UK do
not use drugs."
For more articles on schools in the UK, visit
www.tom-brown.com - an essential guide for parents
About the author: Susan Wright is a regular contributor to www.tom-brown.com - an
essential guide to schools in the UK
|
