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Press Release

PSHE Association response to new drug advice for schools from DfE and ACPO

30 January 2012

The advice to schools just produced by the DfE and Association of Chief Police Officers endorses what has become good practice developed by PSHE advisers, drugs and healthy schools coordinators in local authorities.

The advice is not statutory and replaces the previous guidance Drugs:Guidance for Schools published in 2004. However, despite being non-statutory it does strongly recommend that schools continue to have ‘a written drugs policy to act as a central reference point for all staff’.

The advice also recommends that responses to drug related incidents in schools are most effective when:

-it is supported by the whole school community.
-drug education is part of a well-planned programme of PSHE education delivered in a supportive environment, where pupils are aware of the school rules, feel able to engage in open discussion and feel confident about asking for help if necessary;
-staff have access to high quality training and support.

The PSHE Association believes that this advice is an imperative for all ages and not just for those pupils in secondary schools.

The 2004 guidance includes a lot of very useful advice on the knowledge, understanding and skills needed by pupils at appropriate ages and stages of their schooling. It also gives advice to teachers on the best teaching and learning approaches that will help schools deliver high quality drug education.

This is something that our members most frequently ask for and is not included in the new Drug Advice for Schools. We recommend that until the revised National Curriculum, including PSHE education (which is also being reviewed) is published, schools should continue to use the 2004 Guidance to support the teaching of drug education within their PSHE education curriculum.

The PSHE Association is disappointed that there has been no consultation or discussion prior to the publication of the new advice and that there is potentially a two year gap before the revised national curriculum will be in place, which may or may not offer guidance on appropriate content and teaching approaches. In the meantime we will continue to support teachers across all phases of education in developing high quality drug education within PSHE education.

The PSHE Association has also recently produced a guidance document for parents (and governors) about drug education in schools.



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