Drugs - Adverse Effects on Educational Performance

by Liz Paver, former President of the National Association of Head Teachers

The abuse of drugs is a problem which can potentially affect every school in the land be it Nursery, Primary, Secondary, Mainstream or Independent.

There has been a reluctance on the part of many head teachers and their staff to speak publicly on this subject for fear that their schools may be labeled as a “drugs school” or “problem school” lacking in discipline with low standards of achievement.

This is simply not the case. Drug abuse has been identified as having an effect upon the lives of children in the most expensive preparatory schools as well as in the highest achieving mainstream primaries.

Some children are entering Nursery School having already experienced 3 years of living in a home and community where the use of cannabis is commonplace and heroin addiction, with all its associated criminal activities undertaken to provide the case to purchase such drugs, more often than not affects one or more of their relatives or neighbours. These children have personal knowledge and experiences which are foreign to their teachers e.g. a six year old eager to explain which drugs give you the best “high” and who numbered many “crack heads” among his family and their friends. So how do we meet their very special needs?

The two areas we must consider are education and protection. In both we aim to inform rather than frighten and as far as possible to appear non-judgemental of those with whom the children live. There is a requirement in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum to introduce Drug Awareness lessons using age-appropriate topics and resources. In general a Healthy Living topic is most suitable for the youngest children 3-7 years and this will cover the beneficial effects of drugs, as used in medicine, as well as the ways in which we keep our bodies healthy by our choice of diet, i.e. what we put into our bodies. BUT for those children already caught up in a world of drug abuse and criminality we should be offering much more:
e.g. Counselling, with a qualified professional, would give an opportunity to share their fears and experiences (seeing adults out of control is very frightening, especially for vulnerable children).

Parent and pupil sessions where shared learning can take place in a non-threatening environment – a quiet place to learn is often a luxury for these children.

Primary School can and should be an oasis of consistent care and nurture, of stimulation and high expectations, both of academic achievement and appropriate behaviour for all pupils. However, there are only 6 hours of school education every day. It is very difficult to have more influence than the 18 hours spent out of school, especially in areas where the two cultures are so different. The 7-11 year olds are introduced to more specific Drugs Awareness programmes, which identify abuse in its many forms including alcohol and tobacco, identify specific drugs discussing their effects and dangers.

Many of these programmes have been produced and delivered in partnership with Police Forces and Health professionals. This multi-agency approach is very productive as it puts the children into direct contact with local police officers, school nurses and other community initiatives e.g. SMART (Substance Misuse, Drug-Related Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour). Some of these older Primary school children are subject to severe peer pressure and often “hang out” with older groups. They are often enticed into drug abuse especially Cannabis by the offer of “free samples” and are soon into a regular using pattern (funded in the main by petty theft) in order to keep up with their mates. Many then go automatically onto harder drugs and I remain totally unconvinced by the argument that this is not the case; personal witness has shown me differently.

There is, of course, a need for quality training for all teachers, both as In-Service Professional Development and during initial Teacher Training but this will require proper levels of funding and equal accessibility throughout all LEA’s.

Finally, let us remember UNICEF’s promises of The Convention on the Rights of The Child, that every child has the right to:-
SURVIVAL – water, food, housing, healthcare.
DEVELOPMENT – play, education.
PROTECTION – love and care, freedom from dangerous work and from fighting in wars, equal opportunities for disabled children.
PARTICIPATION – identity, nationality, religion, expression of opinions.
I would add a fifth promise that every child should have a life free from the destructive effects of drug abuse in their homes and in their communities.