This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Drug education to be revamped
02/03/2007
Scottish drug education is being revamped to ensure it is relevant for all pupils, particularly those most at risk of becoming involved in drug misuse.
Education Minister Hugh Henry has asked health, crime and education agencies to work together to ensure that:
- all pupils have access to high quality drug education as well as substance misuse education
- the links are highlighted between underage tobacco and alcohol consumption and subsequent drug misuse
- all teachers are confident in their ability to teach the subject and have suitable resources, appropriate for each age group
- vulnerable groups are identified to try and prevent them becoming drug abusers.
The Minister was responding to a report, published today, on the effectiveness of drug education in schools. The research highlights that virtually all pupils now receive drugs education and there is a great deal of good practice to build on.
Among the innovative approaches currently being explored are:
- Adapting the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) DVD Get Real for use by teachers and parents. The DVD covers alcohol, solvent, tobacco and illegal drug misuse, detailing the effects of abuse on individuals, their families and wider community
- Training - through SCDEA and Learning and Teaching Scotland - a key member of council staff who will then train teachers on delivery of the Get Real DVD
- Piloting to allow recovered addicts to visit schools (in controlled circumstances) and share their experiences
- Using video-conferencing to allow serving young offenders on drug education programmes to speak with secondary pupils on their experiences and lessons they have learned
- Recognising the link between smoking/alcohol use and future drug abuse and targeting vulnerable youngsters most likely to follow this path
- Considering the best use of the range of resources for drug education, such as Know the Score materials, to ensure they are complementary and deliver effective outcomes for young people
- Developing a wider age-graded drug education programme covering the many forms of substance misuse
- Reviewing the Choices for Life initiative and its impact on drug education, with a view to considering how best to build on its success to date
- Asking Learning and Teaching Scotland and NHS Health Scotland to review the range, quality and suitability of drug education materials currently available and report back on any gaps in provision.
Mr Henry said:
"It's vital that all youngsters have access to reliable information about drugs, giving them the facts which allow them to make informed choices throughout their lives.
"That's why quality drug education is so important - starting from a very young age when pupils in early primary learn about the potential dangers of prescription drugs.
"The research published today tells us that we have solid foundations, providing a good basis on which to build.
"But there are still challenges ahead. At the moment, we give children and young people information but this does not necessarily change their behaviour.
"We need to adopt a more targeted approach, identifying the trigger factors that can lead youngsters into all forms of substance misuse and the miserable spiral of drug addiction and finding ways to steer them towards a safer path.
"Schools clearly have an important role to play in educating young people about the dangers of substance misuse to ensure that they can make informed decisions and are aware of the consequences of their choices. However, schools cannot do it on their own. A collaborative approach with parents and the wider community, such as police drug education officers, is likely to be most effective.
"Our focus now is to build an education programme which is more than just informative. We must inspire youngsters to aim for a life free from drugs, by clearly showing them the devastating impact and misery that this can lead to - not just for them but also for their loved ones and the wider community."
Background:
In a speech today at the ACPOS Drug Conference in Turnberry, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson today set out a greater focus on drug education and drug prevention within the Executive's drug strategy; she said that more needs to be done to tackle demand by stopping young people getting involved in drugs in the first place (see separate news release from Cathy Jamieson issued today).
Drug education is part of the wider health education programme and covers illegal drugs, safe use of medicines, alcohol, tobacco and solvents.The whole school approach to health education promotes schools in partnership with the home and the community to make a difference to health behaviours in young people.
In 2004, an HMIE report on drug education in schools indicated many strengths but also highlighted the need for further development in partnerships with other agencies, staff development, self-evaluation and provision for pupils' needs eg identifying and building on pupils' prior learning.
The Executive commissioned research on the effectiveness of drug education in response to a recommendation by the School Drug Safety Team for research into the outcomes and process of educating young people on drug-related issues. The research report - Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Drug Education in Scottish Schools - is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/03/14135923/0. As part of the research, young people were asked for their views.
The resources developed on drugs education for schools will take into account the recommendations and actions in The Smoking Prevention Working Group report Towards a Future Without Tobacco, the UK report on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Pathways to Problems and the Updated Plan for Alcohol Action Problems.
The Executive-commissioned 2002 Scottish Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) National report states that of 13 year olds who said that they had never smoked cigarettes, 1per cent said they had used drugs in the past month. Of 13 year olds who said they were regular smokers, 48 per cent said they had used drugs in the past month. The comparable figures for 15 year olds were 3 per cent and 65 per cent respectively.