Drugs, alcohol and tobacco education
Drugs, alcohol and tobacco education (DATE) is an important part of PSHE in schools.
Teaching the subject
DATE teaches children about harmful substances and the peer pressure they may experience. The aim of this is to increase awareness and hopefully prevent children from trying drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
Schools who wish to apply for the Healthy Schools Wandsworth Bronze Award will be asked to provide evidence of how DATE is delivered across the curriculum.
Templates
The Healthy Schools programme has provided the following templates for DATE education:
- Managing drug related incidents
- Primary drug, alcohol and tobacco education policy
- Secondary drug, alcohol and tobacco education policy
Drugs and alcohol
The organisations below provide resources for drug and alcohol education.
Mentor
Mentor offers resources for primary and secondary schools to review and create an effective policy tailored to the school needs.
Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Partnership
This Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Partnership developed a set of guidance to help teachers, professionals, parents and young people to find appropriate information when they are concerned.
- Drug and alcohol - guidance for young people
- Drug and alcohol – guidance for parents
- Drug and alcohol -guidance for professionals
The PSHE Association
The PSHE Association is the national body for PSHE education. It offers guidance, evidence review, lesson plans and knowledge organisers for drug and alcohol education. Lessons explore facts, laws, risks and consequences associated with alcohol and other drug use including how to manage pressure and keeping themselves healthy and safe.
Getting it On
This is a website offering information and services for 13 to 19 year olds, including a number of pages related to drugs and alcohol. Key pages include:
Drugwise
DrugWise is the UK’s leading centre of expertise on drugs. The site provides balanced and up-to-date drug information to professionals and the public.
Smoking and vaping
The organisations below provide resources for nicotine, smoking and e-cigarettes education.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) produced a toolkit with practical advice on developing nicotine and tobacco free schools policy. They also provided a guide called freedom from nicotine and tobacco: guide for schools.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities worked with King's College London to produce a report about nicotine vaping in England.
Better Health
Better Health offers information on quitting smoking including vaping myths and facts.
Talk to Frank
Talk to Frank is a drug, alcohol and tobacco support and information website which has an information section dedicated to vapes and e-cigarettes.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
ASH have produced resources for schools on the following:
Other resources
The organisations below provide resources on child exploitation and grooming.
Catch On
Catch On is a free educational resource for schools to support teachers and parents in talking to children and young people about grooming and child exploitation.
It was developed by Catch 22, a provider of variety of services including health and wellbeing, criminal justice, exploitation, child employment and training and many more.