Our Policy is borne out of our duty to safeguard pupils within our care. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and vapes all have the potential to harm young people, either directly due to their effects on the developing teenage body and brain or indirectly through the behaviour they may lead to or the company they may lead a young person to keep. For a small number of people, drugs and alcohol can lead to serious and far-reaching consequences not only for themselves but for their families, their communities and society in general. For young people in particular, these substances can have an impact on their mental health, their education, their relationships with family and friends and their futures. 

All young people need to be empowered to make safe, healthy, and responsible decisions about drugs, legal and illegal, and all provisions play a leading role in helping them make such decisions. This is through a combination of education, pastoral care, and clear sanctions to keep all young people safe. As a provision, we are aware that some young people face pressure to use or experiment with controlled drugs and we aim to do all that we can to reduce those pressures and empower all young people to resist them. 

Super Scientists Limited/Esgate Education aims to: 

1) Have a clear programme of education about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and vapes as well as helping pupils to understand the mechanisms by which they can find themselves drawn into their use and the ways in which they can avoid the pressure to do so. 

2). Have in place clear disciplinary procedures for dealing with any substance-related incidents. 

3). Provide pastoral care and support for all pupils within the context of a whole school community. 

4). Assist parents through education, in the prevention of drug or other substance abuse and signpost appropriate support groups. 

Response to incidents in school or school context: 

• All incidents involving actual or suspected use or possession of illegal substances will be reported to the DSL. 

Suspicion may arise from behavioural signs, such as a deterioration in a pupil’s wellbeing or performance or from unusual behaviour seen by staff and other students. It may also come from the finding of certain items, drugs, or equipment or other information that has been gathered. 

• While staff are always willing to offer sensitive advice and support to students, they should be aware that any information divulged to staff about illegal activity cannot be held to in confidence and will be passed to the Police. 

• While respecting pupils’ rights to privacy, where there are reasonable grounds, the DSL may require a pupil to show the contents of their bag or other property to support the safeguarding of the young person and other students on site.  

• In accordance with the law, any student found owning, supplying or being under the influence of illegal drugs on school property or within the school context should expect to be permanently excluded from school, pending further enquiry with potential involvement of the police.  

• In any incident involving possession of illegal substances, the Head may inform the police. 

• In certain circumstances, the DSL may agree with the student and their family, that, as alternative to permanent exclusion, a supportive contract is agreed by all parties within which specific requirements are set out that will govern the student's continued attendance at the provision, including being tested for drugs regularly and without warning. The details of such a contract will be drawn up in the best interests of the student and signed by all parties. 

The most likely circumstance under which this option would be considered would be if the student and parents were to quickly and responsibly ‘come clean’ about the full extent of their involvement with drugs.  

Confidentiality 

The records of testing will not be used for any other purpose, and they will be destroyed, unless required by the police, or where appropriate after the final conclusion of an appeal. If a student is required to leave the provision, the Student and their parent/carer will be notified in writing when a record of testing has been destroyed, unless required by the police. 

Police 

It is a criminal offence to possess, consume, or supply certain drugs. In such cases parents and students can expect that the police will be informed. We seek to uphold the rule of law and support the work of police in fighting drugs in the local area. Police are therefore informed not with a vindictive aim towards the student(s) involved, but rather to provide police with intelligence that might help protect other pupils and the wider community. 

Alcohol/smoking/vaping use is not allowed on site and will be treated as a breach of rules. In exceptional circumstances where the student is not underage and is given permission to vape/smoke by their parent, then a designated area will be provided, and smoking/vaping must only be carried out in these designated areas in assigned breaks. This must not be in full view of the other students, so as not to give a glamourising view of smoking/vaping. Leaving site to vape or smoke is not permitted. Alcohol abuse will treated in the same way as drug abuse as listed in the policy above.  

Last up-dated: 01.08.25. Needs up-dating 02.08.26