A review of substance use education in fifty secondary schools in South Wales

Abstract

Objective To review substance use education in secondary schools in four local authority areas in South Wales to identify good practice and to explore the barriers to good practice. Design Qualitative and quantitative observational study. Setting Secondary schools in South Wales. Method Semi-structured interview with teachers responsible for coordinating substance use education in 50 (100 per cent) secondary schools in four local authority areas. Results All 50 schools (100 per cent) provided substance use education but only 21 (42 per cent) had a written policy. All schools delivered substance use education at key stage 3 and 46 (92 per cent) at key stage 4 with the time allocated varying from 30 minutes to 6 hours per year at key stage 3 and one and a half hours to 7 hours at key stage 4. Models of delivery varied considerably from form tutor based programmes to stable teams of Personal and Social Education Programme (PSE) staff. PSE coordinators' confidence in programme delivery was greater in those schools with stable PSE teams than in those with other delivery models. Guest speakers were invited to contribute to programmes in 37 (74 per cent) schools. Conclusion The lack of a clear overall philosophy and written policy underpinning the delivery of substance use education in many schools limits the ability of these schools to achieve the maximum potential from the time invested. There were wide variations in the time allocated, training of teachers delivering the programme, and age of introduction of topic areas. Schools frequently relied on guest speakers to deliver their programme. The implications for a co-ordinated approach to substance use education and the provision of further guidance are discussed.