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• Smoking Letter October 2022

  Tue 25 Oct 2022

  October 2022

  Dear Parent / Carer

  Important updates to our (Include @ Norfolk) Smoking Policy

  As a school, with a duty of care to your child - we are committed to eliminate any possible risk of harm your child is exposed to whilst on site. This includes smoking. Furthermore, our school is, legally, a non-smoking environment.  Please also be reminded that in school, smoking equipment is a prohibited item. Unfortunately, since the beginning of the school year, we have had to exclude pupils for smoking or having smoking/vaping equipment with them at school.

  I have taken the decision that from Monday 17^th October pupils will not be allowed in school with smoking material in the same way they are not allowed to have any other prohibited items.

  On arrival at school, pupils will be:

  • Asked to hand in their smoking materials, if they have any, these will be confiscated and destroyed in line with the law.
  • If Pupils who have previously been excluded for smoking refuse to hand smoking materials in or demonstrate to staff that they do not have any, they will be searched by staff in line with the attached policy form the Department of Education.
  • If they refuse to be searched, they will not be able to attend school that day, they will be marked as unauthorised absent and will be the parents/carers responsibility to return home.

  Inevitably, as well as offering support wherever we can, we will also have to enforce these rules, and I would draw your attention to the following from our Health and Safety policy, on page 22. This states:

  19.2 Pupils under and over the age of 18 will not be allowed to smoke or vape on Catch22 school premises, those of education or work experience providers, or on any Catch22 school/academy organised trips and visit

   The curriculum for all pupils includes health education about the risks of smoking and staff should actively encourage pupils who smoke to reduce or eliminate their smoking.

   

  Important things to be aware of:

  • Pupils who have received a fixed term exclusion previously will be searched, if they do not hand in smoking materials. All searching of pupils will be conducted in line with the legal guidance attached.
  • Following this if pupils are found to be carrying smoking paraphernalia a fixed term exclusion will apply.
  • If pupils are seen smoking anywhere on the school premises (inside or outside) a fixed term exclusion will apply.

  Pupils that are not at school because they have been excluded for smoking, are not learning, and achieving or working towards a positive future. We will continue to be proactive in supporting the pupils’ health and achievement.

  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, or staff on site. Help and support is also available form:

  NHS Helpline Call the free National Smokefree Helpline on 0300 123 1044 

  The NHS quit smoking web-site https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/?WT.mc_ID=StoptoberPPC&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuv316pfY-gIVB-3tCh3jgwlUEAAYASAAEgKKf_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds]

  The Norfolk County Council help to stop smoking https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/care-support-and-health/health-and-wellbeing/adults-health/ready-to-change/help-to-quit-smoking?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuv316pfY-gIVB-3tCh3jgwlUEAAYAiAAEgLwmvD_BwE

  Yours faithfully

   

  Philip Hinchliffe

  Headteacher. Catch22 Include School Norfolk.

   

   

  The following id taken from the Department of Education document for Searching, Screening and Confiscation in Schools.

  Key points Searching

  Headteachers and staff authorised by them have a statutory power to search pupils or their possessions, without consent, where they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pupil may have a prohibited item.

  Prohibited items are: • knives or weapons • alcohol • illegal drugs • stolen items • tobacco and cigarette papers • fireworks • pornographic images • any article that the member of staff reasonably suspects has been, or is likely to be, used: • to commit an offence, or • to cause personal injury to, or damage to the property of, any person (including the pupil).

  Headteachers and authorised staff can also search for any item banned by the school rules which has been identified in the rules as an item which may be searched for. Confiscation. School staff can seize any prohibited item found as a result of a search. They can also seize any item, they consider harmful or detrimental to school discipline.