Step Out
Smoke Free Homes
Educational Resource Toolkit
For Key Stage 2
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6
Produced by
Hampshire Public Health
and Hampshire Healthy Schools
Step Out Toolkit
Contents
Introduction
Guidance on Parents and Carers
Template letter to parents/carers
Step Out Smoke Free Homes Lesson Plans Years 3 and 4
Step Out Smoke Free Homes Lesson Plan Years 5 and 6
Step Out Lesson Resources
Worksheet #1 Yrs 3 & 4 How might Ben be affected by the secondhand smoke in this room?
Worksheet #1 Answers Yrs 3 & 4
Worksheet #1 Yrs 5 & 6 How might Ben be affected by the secondhand smoke in this room?
Worksheet #1 Answers Yrs 5 & 6
Worksheet #2 Yrs 3 & 4 Persuasive Letter
Worksheet #2 Yrs 5 & 6 Persuasive Letter
Resource #1 All years Smoking Images
Resource #2 All years Smoking Images with Children
Resource #3 All years Information for Teachers on the Dangers of Secondhand Smoke for Children
Resource #4 All years Information for Teachers on Key Strategies for Reducing Exposure of Children
to Secondhand Smoke
Resource #5 Yrs 3 & 4 Door Hanger
Step Out Toolkit
This toolkit has been developed by Smoke Free Hampshire and Isle of Wight, which is funded by Hampshire County
Council Public Health Department. The aim of the toolkit is to promote smoke free homes amongst the school
community, by raising awareness of the dangers of smoking in the home and car and encouraging parents or carers
of pupils to make their homes smoke free. This toolkit can be used to support the PSHE curriculum as part of a
whole school approach to smoking, including a smoke free policy and signposting to the local NHS Stop Smoking
Service for parents and staff who may want to quit.
Contents
The toolkit contains:



Lesson plans on second hand smoke and smoke free homes
Teaching resources to use in the lessons
Guidance on information to provide to parents/carers and template letter
Links to National Curriculum
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) Primary Curriculum
This toolkit can be used as part of a wider PSHE programme addressing healthy lifestyles, including substance misuse
and alcohol. The new national curriculum from 2014 states:
“All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good
practice. Schools are also free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own
programme of education”.
Within the statutory requirements for the Science curriculum for Years 5 and 6:
“Pupils should be taught to recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way their bodies
function”. Additional guidance: “Pupils should learn how to keep their bodies healthy and how their bodies might be
damaged – including how some drugs and other substances can be harmful to the human body”.
Ref: Department for Education, 2013, PSHE Curriculum. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-inengland-primary-curriculum
Citizenship Key Stage 2 Curriculum
This toolkit can help to meet the existing Key Stage 2 Curriculum for Citizenship, in particular in relation to
the following areas:
“Preparing to play an active role as citizens, pupils should be taught to research, discuss and debate topical
issues, problems and events”.
“Developing a healthy lifestyle, pupils should be taught what makes a healthy lifestyle…and…which commonly
available substances and drugs are legal and illegal, their effects and risks”.
“Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people, pupils should be taught…to care
about other people’s feelings and to try to see things from their point of view…and…where individuals, families and
groups can get help and support”.
“Pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to make real choices and
decisions [for example, about issues affecting their health and wellbeing such as smoking]”.
Ref: Department for Education, 2011, Citizenship: Key Stage 2 Curriculum.
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary/b00198824/citizenship/ks2
Links to Drugs and Smoking Prevention Guidance
DFES Drugs Guidance for Schools (2004)
Citizenship at all Key Stages can contribute to drug education by, for example, providing opportunities for pupils to:




understand rules and laws and how they relate to rights and responsibilities
consider different points of view
explore moral, social and cultural issues
discuss and debate topical issues.
Tobacco education
Schools have an important role to play in raising pupils’ awareness of the health risks associated with smoking:

The emphasis should be on providing information and developing attitudes and skills which will prevent
young people from taking up smoking and supporting those who want to stop.

Schools may wish to explore the impact of smoking on immediate physical functioning and appearance as
well as the influence of friends, family, society and the media on decisions about smoking.
NICE Guidance
NICE recommends that to be most effective smoking prevention efforts should begin in primary school and
continue throughout a young person’s time in school.
Ref: NICE, 2010, School-based interventions to prevent the uptake of smoking among children and young people. National
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/12827/47582/47582.pdf
DFE and ACPO Drugs Guidance for Schools (2012)
This guidance contains the following guidance on Smoke Free Schools:
Tobacco – Smoke Free Schools
29. Schools are subject to the same smoke free legislation as other premises and most schools go much
further.
30. In most schools:


The school is a smoke-free site;
Children, young people, staff, parents/carers and governors have been involved in the
development and implementation of a smoke-free site;
The guidance also states that:
 The school provides information and support for smokers to quit e.g. promoting access to
“Schools should
ensure
that pupils
havewhich
access may
to and
on sources of help. This
smoking
cessation
classes,
beknowledge
provided of
onup-to-date
the schoolinformation
site.
includes
local
and
national
helplines
(including
NHS
Stop
Smoking
Services)”.
31. Children and young people should understand the non-smoking policy.
Ref: ACP Drug Guidance for Schools, 2012.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/
DFE-00001-2012.pdf
Links to Hampshire Drug Planning
The lesson plans in this toolkit can be used to complement the lesson plans on tobacco in the Hampshire
Drug Planning Pack. Information on how to access a copy of this resource is available in the Resources
Section of the Hampshire PSHE/PDL Resources Section website at: www.hants.gov.uk/pdl under Drug,
Alcohol and Tobacco Education.
Guidance on Parents and Carers
One of the concerns about carrying out work in relation to smoking is the response from
children whose parents smoke and also from the parent smokers themselves.
Tobacco education can be a sensitive subject due largely to the life limiting consequences
of the habit. It is for this reason that primary age children need to be provided with the
correct information and skills to manage the pressure to take up smoking. Rather than
being passive recipients of second hand smoke, children can use their knowledge to actively
resist parental smoking.
It is important for teachers to include whenever and wherever possible the benefits of
stopping smoking as well as discussing the risks. This will provide hope to children who are
worried about smokers they know (see separate sheet on the benefits of quitting).
Material on how to access the local stop smoking service to find out more about how to
stop smoking is included below. This can be given to parents and carers as part of the
general information about the subject the children are studying.
A letter outlining the importance of raising the issue of tobacco use to this age group and
about the smoke free homes project could also go out to parents. Smokers and their
children are used to health promotion campaigns about smoking - they are faced with
campaign messages in most media, so may well have discussed this subject as a family
already.
For smokers who want to quit altogether, the local NHS Stop Smoking Service, Quit4Life,
can offer friendly help and professional support for free – contact them on 0845 602 4663
or email: [email protected].
TEMPLATE LETTER TO SEND TO PARENTS
“Step Out” Smoke Free Homes project
Our school is taking part in a local project to encourage families to make their homes smoke free. The
project is supported by Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and aims to
promote awareness around the health dangers and fire risks of smoking in the home and why a smoke free
home is important.
We are aware that some of our parents/carers are smokers, or your child may know someone who
smokes. If you would like more information about making your home smoke free, visit
www.hants.gov.uk/smokefreehomes.
What is secondhand smoke and why is it harmful?
Secondhand smoke is the smoke given off by cigarettes when someone is smoking and also breathed out
by the smoker. This is very harmful for babies and children as their bodies are not yet developed. They are
more likely to get coughs and colds, lung problems such as asthma and ear infections.
Keeping your children safe
The Step Out campaign encourages parents to take the step of going right away from the house to smoke.
Most cigarette smoke is invisible and there is no safe level of cigarette smoke. Opening the window,
smoking by the door, or smoking in the home when children are at school is not enough – cigarette smoke
lingers and can still be harmful after several hours. Instead, try to:



Make sure you always go right out of the house to smoke (even if the children aren’t at home)
Tell everyone your home is smoke free and ask visitors not to smoke in the house
Put an ashtray ready to take outside to collect your cigarette ends
Are your children likely to smoke?
When asked, smokers often say that they do not want their children to start smoking. The best way to
make this less likely is to stop smoking yourself, but if you encourage your children not to smoke then that
really helps. You can also help by not smoking around your children, so that they don’t copy you. If you
smoke but are not ready to quit, the best thing you can do is to smoke outside.
Want to stop smoking?
If you are interested in quitting, then the local NHS Stop Smoking Service Quit4Life will be able to help you.
They offer a range of support from one-to-one advice in person or over the telephone and hold clinics
throughout Farnborough and Aldershot. You can contact them on 0845 602 4663 or text QUIT to 60123 or
visit www.quit4life.nhs.uk
Health Benefits of Stopping
• After just 20 mins your heart beats at its normal rate.
• After 8 hrs oxygen increases and your chances of having a heart
attack start to fall.
• After 24 hrs the lungs start to clear out mucus and debris.
• After 48 hrs nicotine leaves the body and taste and smell improve.
• After 72 hrs breathing and energy levels increase.
• After 2-12 weeks blood circulation improves throughout the body.
• Coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing improve after 3-9
months.
• After 5 years the risk of having a heart attack falls to about ½ that of
a smoker and after 10 years it is the same as someone who has
never smoked. Lung cancer risks reduce with every year you quit.
(with thanks to Oxfordshire Smoking Advice Service)
Step Out Smoke Free Homes - Lesson Plans Years 3 & 4
Aim:
To educate pupils about the dangers of second hand smoke in the home/car and to help them find ways to avoid it.
Learning Goals – By the end of the lessons each pupil should be able to:
1. Describe what is meant by second hand smoke
2. Explain the dangers of second hand smoke to their health
3. Describe strategies to reduce exposure in the home and car
4. Design a ‘Smoke Free Home’ door hanger for their home OR write a persuasive letter to a parent to encourage
them not to smoke in the home (Depending on Year group and ability)
Previous Learning
Pupils will have a basic understanding of the dangers of smoking to health from previous lessons.
Resources Required:
Powerpoint/smartboard
Handouts
Worksheets
Equality and Diversity
Opportunity to discuss how different cultures view
smoking
Consideration given to individuals home circumstances
and environment given
LESSON 1 - 45 mins
Time/Duration
Activity
15 mins
Developing
and sharing
opinions on
smoking
Type
Whole Class
or Small
group
Instructions
Present the class with the photographs on
Resource #1. Work as a whole class on the
board or in small groups.
Ask them to:
a) Describe what they see
b) Say what they think of the photos
c) What dangers do they see?
Resources
Resource #1
Reflect on health dangers of smoking for the
individual from previous lessons. Explain how
we know that smoking is dangerous to the
person smoking. Give some examples of
smoking related illnesses.
30 mins
Understanding Whole Class
Secondhand
or Small
smoke
group
Show class photographs on Resource #2,
either as whole group or in small groups on
paper.
Ask them to describe:
a) What is different about these photos?
(i.e. there are children)
b) What might the child be feeling?
c) What are the dangers for the child?
Resource #2
Individual
Task
Take feedback and discuss. Use Resource #3
for teacher information to discuss the effect of
secondhand smoke on children.
Resource #3
Ask children to complete Worksheet #1 How
does secondhand smoke affect Ben? Teacher
assistance may be required.
Worksheet #1
Brief re-cap on the dangers of secondhand
smoke. Use Resource #3 for teacher
information.
Group discussion in class about strategies to
avoid exposure to second hand smoke.
Teacher to suggest following strategies:
- Asking parents to always smoke
outside and away from the door
- Asking parents/carers never to smoke
in the car, even with the window open
- Asking parents/carers to change
clothes/coat after smoking
- Not allowing guests in the house to
smoke
- Asking family and friends not to
smoke around them
- Suggesting to parents/carers that they
can stop smoking with help from an
NHS Stop Smoking Service
Resource #3
LESSON 2 – 45 mins
5 mins
15mins
Understanding
secondhand
smoke
How can we
Whole Class
avoid
secondhand
smoke?
Resource #4
Use Resource #4 for teacher information
25 mins
Depending on
Year Group
and ability
Individual
Either:
Create door
hanger for
home
Each child to have a copy of Resource #5 (door
hanger template, ideally printed onto card).
Pupils to create own design, to promote a
smoke free home. Encourage pupils to use the
themes learned in lesson, i.e. illnesses,
stopping smoking.
Individual
Pupils should take door hanger home to aid
discussion with family.
Or:
Letter to
parents
Resource #5
Using worksheet provided, ask the children to
write a persuasive letter to Rashid’s parents
asking them not to smoke in the house or car.
Worksheet#2
Step Out Smoke Free Homes - Lesson Plan Years 5 & 6
Aim:
To educate pupils about the dangers of second hand smoke in the home/car and to provide necessary strategies to
reduce exposure.
Learning Goals – By the end of the lesson each pupil should be able to:
5. Describe where second hand smoke can be found
6. Explain the dangers of second hand smoke to children’s health
7. Describe strategies to reduce exposure in the home and car
8. To write a persuasive letter to a smoker encouraging them to smoke away from children
Previous Learning
Pupils will have a basic understanding of the dangers of smoking to health from previous lessons.
Resources Required:
Powerpoint/smartboard
Handouts
Worksheets
Time/Duration
10 mins
20 mins
Activity
Developing and
sharing
opinions on
smoking
Understanding
Second hand
smoke
Equality and Diversity
Opportunity to discuss how different cultures view
smoking
Consideration given to individuals home circumstances
and environment given
Type
Whole Class
or Small
group
Whole Class
or Small
group
Instructions
Present the class with the photographs on
Resource #1. Work as a whole class on the
board or in small groups.
Ask them to:
d) Describe what they see
e) Say what they think of the photos
f) What dangers do they see?
Resources
Resource #1
Reflect on health dangers of smoking for
the individual from previous lessons. Explain
that we now all know that smoking is
dangerous to the person smoking.
Show class photographs on Resource #2,
either as whole group or in small groups on Resource #2
paper.
Ask them to describe:
d) What is different about these
photos? (i.e. there are children)
e) What might the child be feeling?
f) What are the dangers for the child?
Resource #3
Take feedback and discuss. Use Resource
Sheet #3 for teacher information to discuss
the effect of second hand smoke on
children.
Individual
Task
Ask children to complete Worksheet 1#
How does second hand smoke affect Ben?
Worksheet #1
Time/Duration
10mins
Activity
How can we
avoid second
hand smoke?
Type
Instructions
Whole Class
Group discussion in class about strategies to
avoid exposure to second hand smoke, to
include:
- Asking parents to always smoke
outside & away from the door
- Asking parents/carers never to
smoke in the car, even with the
window open
- Asking parents/carers to change
clothes/coat after smoking
- Not allowing guests in the house to
smoke
- Asking family & friends not to
smoke around them
- Suggesting to parents/carers that
they can stop smoking with help
from an NHS Stop Smoking Service
Resources
Resource #4
Use resource #4 for teacher information
20 mins
Letter to a
parent
Individual
Each child to have a copy of Worksheet 2#
Ask the children to write a persuasive letter
to Rashid’s parents asking them not to
smoke in the house or car. They should
include:
a) How the smoke may affect Rashid’s
health
b) What they could do instead e.g. go
outdoors, quit
c) Why it is important to Rashid
Home Learning
Task
Individual
Ask pupils to produce A4 poster promoting
smoke free homes.
Worksheet #2
Worksheet #1 Years 3 & 4
How might Ben be affected by the second
hand
smoke
in hair
thiswill …………..
room?
His
He might get more
………………………. & colds
Ben may be more likely
to ………….himself as
there are cigarettes lying
around the ………………..
His……………….will have
harmful………………. that
cling to fabric.
He might………………about
his family if they smoke
and is more likely to
get…………………or other
smoking related
illnesses.
Fill the gaps above with the correct word:
clothes
asthma
smoke
coughs
smell
house
worry
chemicals
Can you think of any other ways that Ben might be affected by second hand smoke?
Worksheet #1 Answers Years 3 & 4
How might Ben be affected by the second
hand smoke in this room
His hair will smell
He might get more
coughs & colds
Ben may be more likely
to smoke himself as
there are cigarettes lying
around the house.
His clothes will have
harmful chemicals that
cling to fabric.
He might worry about
his family if they smoke
and is more likely to get
asthma or other smoking
related illnesses.
Fill the gaps above with the correct word:
clothes
asthma
smoke
coughs
smell
house
worry
chemicals
Can you think of any other ways that Ben might be affected by second hand smoke?
-
Less money in the family for toys
Have more time off school
He might get more ear infections
He might get more serious diseases as he gets older
People might tell him he smells.
Worksheet #1 Years 3 & 4
Worksheet #1 Years 5 & 6
How might Ben be affected by the
second hand smoke in this room?
How will the smoke affect his
hair and clothes?
How does seeing his parents smoking affect what he
thinks about cigarettes?
How will the smoke affect his heart
and lungs?
How else might he be affected?
Worksheet #1 Answers Years 5 & 6
How might Ben be affected by the
second hand smoke in this room?
How will the smoking in the
house/car affect his hair and
clothes?
How does seeing his parents smoking affect what he
thinks about cigarettes?
-His clothes and hair will smell
of smoke, even when they
have been washed
-
- The harmful chemicals from
the cigarettes will cling to his
clothes and he will breathe
some in.
-
He may think all adults smoke
He may worry about them and their health
He may be tempted to try smoking if he sees
cigarettes around the house
He is more likely to smoke himself as he looks up
to his parents
He might think that smoking relaxes people
down, but it doesn’t
How will the smoke affect his lungs
and breathing ?
-He will have coughs and colds more
often.
-He might get asthma
- He will breathe in lots of dangerous
chemicals
- He might get more chest infections
How else might he be affected?
-
He will not be able to smell things as well as other children
He might get more ear infections and be ill more often
When he grows up he might be more likely to get more serious illnesses (such as cancers)
Other people might find that he smells of cigarettes and this could bother him.
Worksheet #2 Years 3 & 4 Persuasive Letter
This is Rashid. His parents smoke in the
house and car. He would like them to stop.
Write a persuasive letter to his parents
asking them to stop smoking in the house
and car.
Dear Rashid’s Parents
I am writing to you because
Second hand smoke is dangerous for Rashid as it can
You can stop Rashid breathing in your smoke by
Please remember
From
Worksheet #2 Years 5 & 6 Persuasive Letter
This is Rashid. His parents smoke in the house and car. He would like
them to stop. Write a persuasive letter to his parents asking them to stop
smoking in the house and car.
You should include the following:
a)
b)
An explanation about the dangers of secondhand smoke for Rashid
Ways that they can stop Rashid breathing in smoke
Dear Rashid’s Parents
Step Out Smoke Free Homes Resource #1
Years 3, 4, 5 & 6
Step Out Smoke Free Homes Resource #2
Years 3, 4, 5 & 6
Information for Teachers on the Dangers of
Second Hand Smoke for Children Resource # 3
Years 3, 4, 5 & 6
You should judge the level of information to give the class about potential illnesses according to the year group and
ability. To avoid unnecessary worry for pupils with family members who smoke, explain that no all smokers will
get these illnesses.
Children who are exposed to second hand smoke are more likely to get:
Ear infections
Bronchitis
Asthma
Coughs and Colds
Bacterial Meningitis
Bronchitis
A reduced sense of smell
Sudden infant death syndrome
Childhood cancers
When they grow up they are also more likely to get:
Lung cancer
Emphysema
They are also more likely to smoke themselves
Teacher Information
Key Strategies for Reducing Exposure of
Children to Second Hand Smoke Resource #4
Years 3, 4, 5 & 6
Key learning points
It is important that the pupils understand that lots of the chemicals in smoke are invisible and cannot be smelled
Opening windows is not sufficient because the chemicals still come in the room
Smoke clings to materials such as clothes and furniture and can still be harmful for sometime after the cigarette has
been finished.
Key strategies
Children can ask parents/carers to smoke outside, right away from the door, ideally with it shut.
Children can ask parents/carers not to smoke in the car
Children can ask that there should never be any exception to this rule and it should be followed even when the
children are not at home/in the car
Children can ask parents/carers to wear a different coat when smoking outside and change it when they come in
Children can ask that parents tell friends and family about the rules
Children can suggest that parents stop smoking with the help of the NHS Stop Smoking Service
Step Out Smoke Free Homes Resource #5
Door Hanger
Years 3 and 4