Cheshire East councillors have expressed concern some schools are not taking up a substance misuse education programme with one saying lessons about the harm from drugs are as important as maths.

The adults and health committee was being updated on Monday, March 23, on recent work stemming from the 'reducing drug and alcohol harm plan' in Cheshire East.

But a report to the meeting from interim director of public health Professor Rod Thomson, stated 'schools have reported that the current training and education landscape feels overwhelming, often leading to non-engagement'.

Cllr Lata Anderson (Wilmslow, Ind) said it was worrying schools didn't have the time, especially with the amount of children taking up vaping and she asked what was being done to get this information out.

Prof Thomson said schools were being kept up to date with the latest information around vaping and said one had identified that they had a particular problem with pupils accessing vapes illegally.

"The partnership continues to work with trading standards and the police in terms of targeted raids against suppliers, based on the intelligence that we receive from a variety of sources," he said.

He added there had also been an increase in the use of ketamine among young people, so information about that had also been sent to schools.

Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner (Con) said: "I share Cllr Anderson's concerns about schools that are not being able to find time.

advertisement

"I think it is as imperative to teach young people about drugs and their harm as it is to teach them arithmetic."

But he questioned the way the council and its partners were trying to get the information across to schools and young people.

"I wonder whether or not we are not missing a trick and perhaps not using the media that younger people are likely to use, particularly things like TikTok," he said.

He added: "There must be some materials available that we can publicise, but also potentially share with schools who don't want us to come in, that they can use in their PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) classes."

Cllr Liz Wardlaw (Odd Rode, Con) said the most recent figures she had found revealed 7,000 16 to 24-year olds within Cheshire East admitted to taking drugs in the past year.

"Now, whether that number's this year, last year or any other year, what I'm trying to emphasise is, by 16, our young people are experimenting with drugs," she said.

"So the fact that we are saying, in this document, some of our schools are withdrawing from our education offer really worries me."

Prof Thomson told the committee: "I wouldn't want to suggest that any of the schools across the borough have withdrawn from substance misuse education, it's they've had difficulty in fitting that in with the other external requests that they get for support, and that includes the sexual health service…

"So critically, what we're trying to work with our education colleagues on, is to find a way that we can get various levels of substance misuse and sexual health education into schools in a way that will help.

"Part of that is also recognising that, as you highlighted in your statement, we are seeing individuals who are relatively young are experimenting with substance misuse."