Teenagers to face random drug testing at all schools

By Alexandra Blair, Education Correspondent

RANDOM drug-testing is set to be rolled out to all secondary schools in England as part of a crackdown on drug use among pupils.

From September, schoolchildren in Kent will be tested with mouth swabs for drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and heroin.

The move follows a pilot scheme at The Abbey School in Faversham that was said to have transformed the behaviour of pupils, as well as their results.

Peter Walker, the school’s former head teacher, said: “We had our best set of exam results in the school’s history. There was less disruption in the classroom, less incidents in the playground or on the way to school.”

Mr Walker, who has been appointed as an adviser to help schools throughout England to implement the scheme, said that 86 per cent of parents at his 960-pupil school had signed up to the programme in January 2005. No pupil was forced to take part, but if they refused, their parents were called in. The school had also pledged to expel no one, unless they were involved in drug dealing.

Over the year, 600 random drug tests were carried out on pupils aged between 11 and 18. One child tested positive for cannabis. Mr Walker said that one of the main benefits had been to encourage pupils to say no to drugs .

“We found that children now had a way of saying no which was acceptable to their peer group. Very quickly a lot of children said they’d not try drugs, because knowing their luck they’d be the next to be tested,” he said.

The Abbey is a non-selective specialist school for business and enterprise whose catchment area includes the second most deprived council ward in the county. Having previously reached a high of 30 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to C GCSE grades, 41 per cent of its pupils achieved the same grades last year.

Heads at 103 secondaries will be asked to join the Kent scheme. It will not be compulsory, but the schools will be assessed by Neil McKegeney, a professor at the centre for drugs misuse at Glasgow University, to see if Abbey’s results are replicated.

“If it’s properly evaluated in a positive way, it will clearly be a model to be rolled out across the United Kingdom,” said Mr Walker, who was appointed as the Government’s ambassador for random drug-testing after retiring as Abbey’s head two months ago.

A Department of Health report recently disclosed that one in every 50 schoolchildren claimed to have taken cocaine and 12 per cent said that they had smoked cannabis. Overall, 19 per cent said that they had taken illegal drugs — up from 11 per cent in 1998.

Yesterday advisors to the Department for Education and Skills said that they would support all schools adopting the same approach, in consultation with parents. Alan Johnson, the new Education Secretary, said: “Mr Walker’s drive and commitment is impressive. A A key factor was peer pressure by the kids against taking drugs.

“I am determined schools should have all the support they need to tackle this issue.”

The DFES said it hoped that research alongside the Kent pilot would establish whether there was a direct link between random testing and behaviour, attendance and academic achievement. However, it emphasised that random drug-testing would not be mandatory and it would be up to every individual head teacher to adopt it “if they feel it’s right for them”.

Last night Martin Ward, deputy general-secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that at present few head teachers carried out random drug-testing, because of the fears of infringing human rights and jeopardising relations between pupils and staff. “I suspect many more will take it up happily enough if they’re part of a general trend, but I’m sure a number will be reluctant to do so,” he said.

“It’s not something many school leaders want to adopt because clearly to some degree there’s an infringement of privacy and it does tend to change relations between the school and pupils to a degree.”

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if you cant rollit, it aint worth havin

You'd think that would be an invasion of privacy. Since students aren't civil servents, you'd wonder where they assume they get the authority

The invasion of privacy concept has become common and accepted of late. Students in the U.S., especially, have lost so many of the freedoms that I had when I was in school. Just the fact that so many distracts now require the use of see through book-bags says a lot.

Amazing.
Your kids can't be seen by the 'nit nurse' anymore, but they can be tested for drugs.

Thing is, the parent will back it, because they see cannibis usage as leading to the harder stuff and so think they are protecting their kids.

doesn't say what the penalties are, if any tho... the parents might not care.

Yeah, parents would probably definately back drug testing if they do not have to pay for it. It's a way to find out if their supposed angel is what he/she claims to be.

i'm sure to be vilified for this but ... IMO: if you are in school (regardless of age!) bear in mind, ganja affects short term memory.

Dolly's comment about parents being afraid of their kids going on to the harder stuff: I wonder if that's what those parents did, themselves (or saw their friends do) with alcohol consumption.

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The hardest way to do something is usually the best way.

You know a lot of parents have done or experienced the situations that they preach against. I am not a parent, myself, but I am sure parents probably hate it when kids use the excuse for their actions, that their parents did it.

that's why communication sucks between kids and parents - they're always afraid to say anything to the kids 'cause they did the same thing.

Don't you think it's the media hype as well though?

How many parents out there, don't think cannabis will lead to the harder stuff?