Drugs Policy Rationale

Current research indicates that drug use both legal and illegal is rising amongst young people. As part of the school's care and welfare of its pupils, we believe we have a duty to inform and educate children about drug use. Drugs are a reality in children's lives and schools share responsibility with parents and the community to educate pupils about the risks and consequences of drug use and misuse and to encourage them to make healthy, informed choices by increasing knowledge, challenging attitudes and practising skills.

The drugs education programme in Cornagague aims to enable all our pupils to make healthy informed choices by increasing their knowledge, exploring a range of attitudes about drug use and developing and practising their decision making skills. The programme we follow will be based on guidelines provided by DENI (1996) and will be sensitive to the age and experiences of our pupils. Teaching will be based on an understanding that a variety of approaches should be used in order to meet the needs of our pupils.

This school is committed to the health and safety of everyone here and we will work together with parents and the local community to enable pupils to make healthy, informed choices and discourage the misuse of drugs.

Aims

To provide a programme which gives young people opportunities to acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to make informed and responsible decisions about the use of drugs and other substances within the context of a healthy lifestyle.
To provide staff with adequate training and support to help them deliver effective drugs education and respond to situations with consistency and sensitivity.

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