This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Schools get top marks for drug education
17/10/2002
A survey published today shows that virtually all of Scotland's state secondary schools provide drug education.
Drug Education in Schools 2001/2002 found that 98% of all schools provide drug education, compared to 97% last year, and more than three-quarters of schools have written procedures for managing incidents of drug misuse.
Welcoming the findings, Deputy Education Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"Young people need clear information about drugs and schools have a key role to play in delivering this. Drug abuse can have tragic consequences so we must help pupils resist it understand the dangers and focus instead on achieving their full potential both in school and the wider community.
"Scottish schools have made good progress in promoting positive lifestyle choices as part of health education programmes. Drug education is a vital part of this and includes information on controlled drugs, alcohol and solvents as well as and the safe use of medicines, alcohol and solvents.
"Education can help children make Ppositive lifestyle choices. Prevent These drug education initiatives can prevent children being sucked into the downward spiral of drug abuse and divert them away from a life of crime. Drug education is therefore playing a vital part in our work to tacklecrucial to tackling youth crime and disorder.
"Today's survey provides welcome proof that drug education is taken very seriously and that it is being implemented at both primary and secondary level throughout Scotland."
Further details on the statistics obtained as a result of this survey on drug education are available in a National Statistics news release available today. Drug Education in Schools 2001/2002
Health education already features in the general inspection process and, in addition, HMIE are about to mount a specific task over the rest of this academic year to look at the quality of drug education programmes and their delivery and to examine procedures for managing the incidents of drug misuse.
The School Drug Safety Team (SDST) was set up to ensure appropriate guidance on handling drug incidents is available to teachers and advise on effectiveness of drug education in schools, consider teacher training needs on drug matters promote exchange of best practice. The SDST final report provides a useful overview of drug education in schools and contains 35 recommendations which touch on all aspects of drug education in schools. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/health/sdst_final_report.pdf
Ministers accepted all of the SDST recommendations and have made £3 million available to assist their implementation, (£1 million annually in 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04).
Guidelines for the Management of Incidents of Drug Misuse in Schools were provided to all schools in June 2000 and were warmly welcomed and endorsed. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/education/dmis-00.asp
The Scottish Executive's Drugs Communications Strategy has been drawn up by the Executive, with the help of a wide range of partners in the drugs field. Implementation of the strategy, under the overarching Know the Score brand, will bring together national and local organisations to improve the quality and effectiveness of information available to the public across Scotland about the risks of drugs, and where help can be obtained.
http://www.knowthescore.info
Link to last year's drug education in schools statistics.
www.scotland.gov.uk/news/2001/07/se1746.asp