Drug Education in Schools 1999/2000
A National Statistics Publication
The results of the first annual survey on drug education in schools are published
today by the Scottish Executive Education Department.
In January 2000, local authorities in Scotland were asked to collect information
on the drug education provided by all of the schools under their control. Each
school was required to give details of whether they provided drug education,
what type of drug education they provided and also their procedures for managing
incidents of drugs misuse. Around the same time, all other schools in Scotland
(i.e. independent, grant-aided and opted-out schools) were also asked to provide
similar details of their drug education policies and procedures.
Responses were obtained from 95 per cent of local authority schools and 77
per cent of other schools.
The main findings are:
- Ninety-five per cent of schools in Scotland provide drug education. Ninety-six
per cent of local authority schools do so compared with 88 per cent of other
schools (Table 1).
- All secondary schools which responded to the survey said that they provided
drug education while 96 and 75 per cent of responding primary and special
schools, respectively, said they did so (Table 1).
- Ninety-three per cent of schools provide drug education covering tobacco
while 86 per cent provide education involving controlled drugs. Drug education
covering alcohol, tobacco, solvents and controlled drugs is provided by a
larger proportion of secondary schools than primary schools. However, 91 per
cent of primary schools provide drug education involving safe use of medicine
compared to 74 per cent of secondary schools (Table 1).
- Over 90 per cent of local authority schools provide drug education which
is in line with current national advice while 74 per cent of other schools
do so (Table 2).
- Eighty-eight per cent of local authority schools provide drug education
which is in line with current advice from their local authority (Table 2).
- In just under 85 per cent of schools, each pupil will be provided with drug
education. This varies greatly by type of school, from 58 per cent of special
schools to 84 and 97 per cent of primary and secondary schools, respectively
(Table 3).
- Fifty-six per cent of local authority schools have written procedures for
managing incidents of drugs misuse while a further 14 per cent have such procedures
in preparation. In the case of other schools, these figures are 40 and 24
per cent, respectively (Table 4).
- Just over half of local authority schools have written procedures for managing
incidents of drugs misuse which are in line with current national advice while
just over a third of other schools have such procedures (Table 5).
- In almost all local authority schools which have written procedures for
managing incidents of drugs misuse, these procedures are in line with current
advice from their local authority (Table 5).
The following tables are available:
Table 1 - Percentage of schools which provide
drug education and the types of drug education involved, 1999/2000.
Table 2 - Percentage of schools which provide
drug education which is in line with current national and local authority advice,
1999/2000.
Table 3 - Percentage of schools where each
pupil will receive drug education, 1999/2000.
Table 4 - Percentage of schools with written
procedures for managing incidents of drugs misuse, 1999/2000.
Table 5 - Percentage of schools which have
written procedures for managing incidents of drugs misuse which are in line
with current national and local authority advice, 1999/2000.
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS
- The survey covers all primary, secondary and special schools but not pre-school
education centres.
- Drugs are defined as mood changing substances including medicine, alcohol,
tobacco, solvents and controlled drugs such as, for example, cannibis, cocaine
and heroin.
- Current national advice on drug education is set out in the following:
- How Good is our School? (The Scottish Office, 1996) - performance
indicator 1.2 (quality of course or programme).
- A Route to Health Promotion — self evaluation using performance
indicators (Scottish Executive, 1999).
- HELP UP-DATE on drug and nutrition education (SCCC Curriculum File No 9).
- 5-14 national guidelines on health education.
- "Current advice from local authority" refers to the most recent
advice issued by either a school’s current council or the regional council
in which the school was based prior to 1st April 1996.
- A school is defined as providing drug education to each pupil if every pupil
who stays at that school "from start to finish" will receive drug
education at some point. To provide "progression and continuity",
it would be expected that each pupil would receive drug education at several
stages during their time at a particular school.
- Current national advice on managing incidents of drugs misuse is set out
in the following:
- HMI reports : Issues in health education and promotion (1996) and
Drug and nutrition education (1999).
- HELP UP-DATE 1998.
- Separate breakdowns of the results from this 1999/2000 survey are not available
at sub-Scotland level.
- This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are
produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics
Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure
that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
- Media copies of all tables are available (by fax or e-mail) from David Gow
on 0131-244-2952.
- Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News
Release should be addressed to Alan Fleming, Assistant Statistician, Scottish
Executive Education Department, Area 1-A, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ.
Telephone 0131 244 3745 or email alan.fleming@scotland.gov.uk.
Contact: Murray Meikle: 0131-244-3069
Internet: www.scotland.gov.uk
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