Schools: Substance Abuse Education

Lord Howarth of Newport Excerpts

Monday 2nd February 2015 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Howarth of Newport]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve teaching in schools about the dangers of substance abuse.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con)]

My Lords, drugs education is a statutory part of the new national curriculum for science. Pupils should be taught about the effects of recreational drugs, including substance misuse, on behaviour, health and life processes. Provision in this area can be further strengthened through PSHE education. To support teachers, we have provided funding to the drug and alcohol information service Mentor-ADEPIS to produce resources and guidance.

[Lord Howarth of Newport (Lab)]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that evidence was given to the Home Affairs Select Committee that most schools provide drug education on just one occasion in the school year, or even less? Is he aware that the charity Mentor said:

“We are spending the vast majority of the money we do spend on drug education on programmes that don’t work”?

Is he aware that his department told the committee that it did not monitor the programmes and resources that schools use to support their teaching in this very important area? What steps have been taken since the publication of the Select Committee’s report to improve this state of affairs, and does he agree that very much more needs to be done if Education Ministers are to fulfil their proper responsibility to help to protect young people against the dangers of substance abuse in general and the consumption of drugs in particular?

[Lord Nash]

Ofsted tells us that the drugs education in schools is good. There are a great many charities working with schools, not necessarily during formal curriculum time. Attendance is at an all-time high at schools. Absence has fallen substantially. We have strengthened the national curriculum to cater for more drugs education.