Engayne Primary School
Smoke Free School Policy
( this includes electric cigarettes as well as tobacco based)
Introduction
The staff and governors of the school, pledge to educate, protect and act as role
models to our children, so that the school’s aims, specifically to:
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develop the citizens of tomorrow as responsible members of the community;
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develop self confidence, self discipline, perseverance and integrity;
develop an understanding of the world and respect for other creeds and
cultures;
are advanced.
Rationale
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Children become aware of cigarettes at an early age. Three out of four
children are aware of cigarettes before they reach the age of 5, whether
their parents smoke or not. By the age of 11 one-third of children and by
the age of 16 years two-thirds of children have experimented with
smoking.
In Great Britain about 450 children start smoking everyday and around
one fifth of Britain’s 15 year olds are regular smokers- despite the fact that
it is illegal to sell cigarettes to children aged under 16. Children who
experiment with cigarettes quickly become addicted to the nicotine in
tobacco. (For more information on smoking and health.
(http://www.ash.org.uk).
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death and ill
health in our society.
Passive smoking- breathing other people’s tobacco smoke- is also
potentially fatal. It has been shown to cause lung cancer, as well as many
other illnesses, in non-smokers. Around 600 people die every year of lung
cancer due to passive smoking.
Good health education is seen as central to reducing the incidence of
smoking and schools have a major role to play in working towards nonsmoking being seen as the norm in society.
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As a school we want all adults within the school environment to act as role
models for our children and to promote a no-smoking ethos.
Aim of the Policy
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Encourage staff and pupils to live healthy lives
To ensure a healthy environment for all who visit the site
To enable both smokers and non-smokers to enjoy clean air without the
associated risks from smoking
To allow pupils to see positive non-smoking role models as the norm.
To set a healthy example, of a smoke free environment, to the wider
school community.
To promote our National Healthy Schools Award.
To provide support, if requested, on giving up smoking, by giving
information about the Havering Stop Smoking Service. This Service can
be contacted on 0800 032 0 102.
Visitors
The No smoking policy applies to all staff and to visitors to the school- for
example, parents, suppliers, supply or temporary staff, and repair people.
Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the School grounds, including buildings,
car parks and sports fields. The following arrangements have been made for
informing visitors of the policy’s existence:
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Clearly worded signs will be sited to announce the policy.
Staff members will inform visitors of the policy when necessary.
Parents will be informed of our non-smoking policy in the newsletter.
The local education authority will be informed.
Consultation
The consultation process has involved the following groups of people:
Teaching and support staff
Parents
Governors- discussion and Governors’ meeting
Monitoring
A record of any breaches of the policy will be kept and will be dealt with at the
discretion of the Head Teacher, This will involve reminding the person who has
breached the policy of the schools No Smoking Policy and may involve asking
the person to leave the premises if they refuse to co-operate.
Implementation
The Head Teacher will be responsible for dealing with reported breaches of the
policy by staff or visitors to the site, she will in the first instance remind those
involved of the non-smoking policy, however repeated breaches of the policy
may lead to the school’s disciplinary policy being invoked. Teachers or the Site
Manager will speak to pupils who smoke on the premises and will discuss with
them the health risks of smoking and reinforce the no smoking policy within the
school grounds. Letters will be sent to parents along with work to be completed
at home by the pupil under supervision of the parents where the pupil is a
member of our school, looking at the dangers of smoking. Smoking is also one of
the areas covered in class as part of the school’s PSCHE programme giving
pupils access to information and advice in dealing with the dangers of both
smoking and passive smoking. These sessions also allows them to express their
views and opinions in a safe environment.
The school acknowledges that some staff do smoke and provision has been
made to offer help and advice through the school nurse for those wanting help or
requiring support and information about giving up smoking. The school nurse
holds regular drop in sessions and these are advertised on the school’s extranet.
Havering also provides support for those wanting to stop smoking through the
NHS stop smoking campaign.
The policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to meet the general
principle.
Mrs S Sankey
Headteacher