Drugs
A comprehensive programme of drugs education ensures that pupils are made fully aware of the harmful effects and potential dangers of drugs. Further details can be found in the school's PSHE handbook.Young people in Croydon are offered illegal and other harmful drugs at parties, in night clubs, in pubs and on the streets. The school's policy is that involvement with controlled drugs is always wrong for several reasons including the following:
- it is illegal. Young people involved with illegal drugs run the risk of obtaining a criminal conviction which will affect employment prospects throughout their lives.
- drugs have harmful physical side-effects. Some of these are unpredictable and fairly immediate and account for a number of premature deaths amongst adolescents each year. All are now associated with longer term health problems.
- a small number of young people quickly develop some form of dependency on drugs involvement in drug culture tends to draw young people away from more worthwhile activities and often results in a falling away of academic performance.
Particular dangers are attached to allowing young people to attend parties which are not supervised by adults. Drugs cost money, and parents will want to control the amount of money at the disposal of their adolescent children.
Any pupil found to be involved with illegal or other harmful drugs while under school jurisdiction either on or off school premises can expect to be immediately suspended from school and may subsequently be expelled depending on the circumstances. The Youth and Community Section of the local police will also be informed.
Updated: April 2008
