Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Browne Jacobson home

Home

Insights

Blogs

Data reveals extent of illegal drugs in schools

data reveals extent of illegal drugs in schools

23 April 2015

Data obtained from police forces in England and Wales shows that there were more than 2,000 reported incidents of illegal drugs being seized or confiscated from school premises from March 2011 to December 2014. Only four incidents involved children under 11, suggesting that this is primarily a secondary school issue.

School staff have well-publicised, but often not well-used, statutory powers to search students and their property with the student’s consent, or without consent where the headteacher or any staff authorised by them have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the student may have a prohibited item. Where controlled drugs are found, these must be delivered to the police as soon as possible but may be disposed of if the person searching the student “thinks there is a good reason to do so”, taking into account all relevant circumstances.

Watch our training video on searching and confiscating items from students for more information.

related opinions

Is the SEND system working?

A recent report from the Local Government Ombudsman has highlighted significant concerns with the operation of the SEND system which is resulting in 87% of parental complaints against local authorities on SEND being upheld by the Ombudsman.

View blog

Second prosecution of its kind following Ofsted investigation for running an illegal school

A Head Teacher and her father were convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for running an unregistered private school in Streatham.

View blog

School uniform under media spotlight

The new academic year has started with controversy over school uniform. Last week, a government inquiry heard evidence that costs for parents are being exacerbated by compulsory branded uniform, including clothing with school logos, and operating contractual arrangements for the supply of these items with single retailers.

View blog

Education Secretary confirms DfE 'backing' for exclusions

Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has confirmed that head teachers who take “the decision to either suspend or expel a pupil because they need to do it in order to be able to enforce proper and full discipline in their school, and making sure that they're protecting the whole interests of the school, will always have my backing".

View blog

View all blogs