The Amy Winehouse Foundation and Angelus Foundation have joined up with an e-petition to encourage the government to make drug education a subject in schools.
Their particular concerns are alcohol and the rise of the use of ‘legal highs’.
Melvel Training welcomes this petition and a change to drug education in schools. There is a fear factor in this country that if we talk about drugs, people will instantly go out and misuse. I would rather my daughter have the correct information about substances, legal and illegal, to make better informed decisions.
With all the pressures placed onto schools regarding targets and performance, many subjects that are not compulsory get pushed to one side. Often teachers do not feel confident enough to deliver drug education. Some schools invite outside agencies to deliver sessions, but with schools’ financial constraints this isn’t happening so much.
Drug education needs to be a part of the curriculum and not just part of the Healthy Schools work. It needs to begin at the start of school life (for example simple safety measures such as safety with medicines) and to continue all the way through to university. There also needs to be an investment in teacher training.
For far too long the topic of drug education has been ignored and teachers have been left to get on with it. It is time to make a change.
To sign this petition, please follow this link: