One pupil a day barred for drugs

AT least one child is excluded every day for bringing drugs into schools and playgrounds.

A total of 711 children were temporarily removed from Scottish secondary schools in only two and a half years for taking in drugs including cocaine and cannabis.

It means the equivalent of at least one pupil has been excluded over drugs during every school day between the start of 2015 and June this year.

The majority of the offences involved cannabis but in January, a pupil was caught with cocaine at a school in East Renfrewshire.

In the Shetland Islands, three pupils were excluded from a school after being caught with anti-anxiety drug Valium in 2015.

Highland Council even reported a primary pupil being excluded for a drugs offence, though it did not say which drug was involved.

Scots Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘Scotland has a complex and deep-rooted problem with drugs, and regrettably that appears to extend to schools.

‘While children bringing drugs to school need to know severe punishment awaits them, the people we need to crack down on are the dealers and suppliers.’

Figures obtained following a Freedom of Information request showed drug-related exclusions rose by 67 per cent from 152 in 2015 to 255 the following year.

Almost 250 incidents have already been recorded between the start of this year and the end of June.

The two-and-a-half year period included around 460 school days, which means at least one child faced exclusion for drugs offences on every day schools were open.

Aberdeenshire Council reported the greatest number of drugrelated exclusions, with 81 pupils caught since early 2015.

Glasgow and North Lanarkshire councils recorded 76 instances and East Ayrshire Council reported 17.

The Scottish Government said guidance to councils advises ‘prevention and early intervention, with exclusion being a last resort’.