School yard smoking

[Kendhni]

I was listening to a report on the radio last night and can only say my 'gob' was well and truly 'smacked'.

It appears that at a school (in Leeds) children as young as 11 were allowed to smoke in the school yard ... someone complained so the Head banned smoking in the school. This then led to complaints that children (as young as 11) were 'being forced' (one pundits words, not mine) to leave school grounds during the day while the school should have been looking after them. Now a new Head has arrived and reversed this policy by allowing children (as young as 11) to smoke in some areas on school grounds. Apparently all this was seen as BETTER than suspension and expulsion?

Whatever happened to 'No', it is illegal for chldren (as young as 11) to smoke so you are not going to do it on school grounds. If parents are so worthless and irresponsible to turn a blind eye to your smoking then child services should be involved on the grounds of negligence but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should a school be condoning this behaviour.

[GillD46]

While I deplore smoking, and find this almost unbelievable, is it actually illegal to smoke under age 16 or simply to buy cigarettes and tobacco?

[david63]

Not sure what the age is that you can buy tobacco (it may be 16 but I thought it was a bit less) but it is illegal for an "adult" to buy tobacco for an under age child.

So we have a situation:

1 - Adult buys tobacco for child - illegal
2 - Child smokes said tobacco - illegal
3 - School allows under age child to smoke on the premisses - illegal

[Boris+]

I thought that it was against the law for someone under the age of 16 to buy or use tobacco products.

Em

[Delboy]

My daughter went to pick up our 14 year old grandson from school Thursday lunchtime, he was going to buy her lunch in town. (Subway sandwich bar, lol) After a they reach a certain school year, they are allowed to leave school at lunchtime, can wear school jumper instead of Blazer etc, etc.

Whilst she was waiting for him in the car, she was staggered of how many children were lighting up cigarettes as soon as they left the school premises and were heading towards the nearby leisure centre.

She was extremely suprised, as when she was at school, if you lit up a cigarette anywhere near the school and were seen, you would be in trouble, you had to wait until you were many blocks away. These children were lighting up outside the school gates.

[emjay45]

This is quite frankly ridiculous. I agree what happened to 'No you can't do that' or is it against children's human rights these days to be given any sort of discipline.
It amazes me that any young person would want to smoke today, with all the knowledge they have regarding health issues.

[Deefitz]

How the heck do they afford it?

[Frank Manning]

My company seconded me to help out with Business Studies at a local school, about 15 years ago, and I was amazed at the number of them smoking then. Also the way the girls' compacts and lipsticks came out in the last 10 minutes of the lesson. Skirts up round their backsides, and loads of cheek.

[Dark Knight]

Kids these days have it fat too easy
in my day, we had to sneak about behind the art block and behind the chapel, to have a crafty bensons and find ways to hide your smokes when the teachers popped up to do a quick confiscation run
the irony was the teachers smoking the nicked fags, in the staffroom in full view of all the kids

honestly how are kids supposed to learn the art of lying and cheating if this is the standards they have to beat

HOPELESS

[Kendhni]

Found this link to what I believe is probably the story they were discussing last night.

[Onelife]

"Kids Rule"?

Thankfully, I’m not a parent of a child at this school...If I was I would be demanding the resignation of the new head teacher and any teacher who has knowingly allowed this outrageous behaviour to carry on.

Regards

OL

[emjay45]

Found this link to what I believe is probably the story they were discussing last night.

So it's been stopped. It makes you wonder at the intelligence of this headmaster really.

[david63]

It is all OK

The school caters for 75 pupils with educational and behavioural issues and it was believed children were allowed to smoke in an attempt to stop them playing truant.

Source

Erm - is that not what teachers are supposed to do anyway?

[Jacknian]

The legal age for buying any tobacco product is now 18 and has been for about a year now. Most shops operate a ' think 21 ' policy where the cashier has to consider whether the person looks 21 and if not ask them for I.D. I don't think it's actually illegal to smoke whatever the age., the same as alcohol, as long as you don't buy it you can drink it in your own home whatever your age. Having said that I think it's disgusting that any school should condone their pupils smoking, would they let then drink alcohol during their break ? Or take drugs ? Where does it end ?

[Boris+]

Ok, when I was at school anyone seen smoking - even after hours of an evening - would be in big trouble.

I thought that a school or college was deemed to be 'in loco parentis' - and responsible for caring for/looking after kids as well as the education side of things.

In school I believe that mobile phones, drink, smoking, weapons, bad language and inappropriate dress should be completely and utterly banned.

Kids are in school to learn - end of story - not to adopt bad habits.

Em

[Delboy]

Further to my previous post of how many children my daughter saw lighting up cigarettes outside the school gates, she also said the vast majority of them were girls.

[Onelife]

Ok, when I was at school anyone seen smoking - even after hours of an evening - would be in big trouble.

I thought that a school or college was deemed to be 'in loco parentis' - and responsible for caring for/looking after kids as well as the education side of things.

In school I believe that mobile phones, drink, smoking, weapons, bad language and inappropriate dress should be completely and utterly banned.

Kids are in school to learn - end of story - not to adopt bad habits.

Em

Couldn’t agree more Em apart from a little discretion where mobile phones are concerned. Some pupils need them to arrange transport/picking up after school... But agree with you in that they serve no purpose during school ..other than a distraction.

Regards

Keith

[oldbluefox]

I can't believe this story. I presume the children are there mainly for behavioural problems. I cannot see how conceding to their demands is going to help them at all, in fact in many cases they are only there because there is no structure in their lives and nobody strong enough to provide them with a safe, secure and structured environment. No doubt many come from disfunctional families. They are kids for goodness sake who look for a lead from grown ups and when no lead is given they take control and do as they please.
Why is it nobody is prepared to take control as the responsible adults?

Sorry Onelife. I have to disagree with you on the mobile phone issue. My experience is they are a pain in the neck in school and whilst children want them in school they don't need them. Any problems with pick-up arrangements should be dealt with through the school office. I would ban them from school altogether as they are more trouble than they are worth (lost mobiles, stolen mobiles, mobiles going off in lessons, mobiles as a distraction, arguments arising from text messages all taking away from time which could be better spent than sorting out mobile phone issues). Too much time is wasted in sorting out lost/misplaced/stolen personal items which should not be in school in the first place. For some parents it will represent one of the few occasions they will become involved in their child's education when they come storming into school demanding a full investigation into the disappearance of their child's fancy trainers (which are ultimately found lying around in the cloakroom as their little dear could not be bothered to put them in their bag).
The fewer distractions the better IMO.

[HK phooey]

A mobile phone is essential in my daughter's case as we have to text her every day after school to tell her where we have managed to park. It stays switched off until the bell goes.

[Onelife]

I can't believe this story. I presume the children are there mainly for behavioural problems. I cannot see how conceding to their demands is going to help them at all, in fact in many cases they are only there because there is no structure in their lives and nobody strong enough to provide them with a safe, secure and structured environment. No doubt many come from disfunctional families. They are kids for goodness sake who look for a lead from grown ups and when no lead is given they take control and do as they please.
Why is it nobody is prepared to take control as the responsible adults?

Sorry Onelife. I have to disagree with you on the mobile phone issue. My experience is they are a pain in the neck in school and whilst children want them in school they don't need them. Any problems with pick-up arrangements should be dealt with through the school office. I would ban them from school altogether as they are more trouble than they are worth (lost mobiles, stolen mobiles, mobiles going off in lessons, mobiles as a distraction, arguments arising from text messages all taking away from time which could be better spent than sorting out mobile phone issues). Too much time is wasted in sorting out lost/misplaced/stolen personal items which should not be in school in the first place. For some parents it will represent one of the few occasions they will become involved in their child's education when they come storming into school demanding a full investigation into the disappearance of their child's fancy trainers (which are ultimately found lying around in the cloakroom as their little dear could not be bothered to put them in their bag).
The fewer distractions the better IMO.

Hi OBF

I know my grammar is poor but having read my post again I think it reads very much along the same lines as yours regarding the use of mobile phone in schools.

Just for clarification...Our daughter has just gained a place at a school 16 mile from where we live. The journey home requires her to use public transport which drops her off 3 miles from where we live. I then pick her up to continue her journey home. She phones when she gets on the bus and when she needs me to pick her up.

I would be very reluctant to send our daughter to school without her phone ...which I dare say is the case with many parents whose children live away from secluded or infrequent bus routes.

That’s one of the problems living in leafy (rural) Worcestershire

Regards

Keith

[oldbluefox]

HK and Onelife, I take your point but most mobile phones are not necessary and merely become a distraction.

Apologies Onelife if I misread your post.

[Onelife]

Hi OBF

I think it was a case of “same opinions” but different personal circumstances which I agree with you aren’t always conducive when trying to implement classroom discipline.

Regards

Keith

[Kendhni]

I am aware of one teacher who confiscates any mobile phone if it is used or so much as tinkles in her class .. apparently she then refuses to hand it back to anybody except the bill payer (aka legal owner) ... this usually requires parents to come into the school where she detains them for a while as she goes through the school rules about usage of a phone during school. From what I am told many parents come in all guns blazing but leave knowing they have been chastised and treated like a child.

[oldbluefox]

We had a similar policy Ken. An child who needed a mobile for making transport arrangements or just to phone home when they got on the bus left their mobiles at the office and picked them up at the end of the day. Any other mobiles were confiscated and returned at the end of the day.

Watches with an alarm were also a pain in the derrière. When you are flogging your insides out keeping 400 kids attention the last thing you need are numerous 'beep-beeps' on the hour. Considering some of our clientele I must say our children were pretty good and once the novelty of their watches after Christmas had worn off we had few problems.

[Silver_Shiney]

Some pupils need them to arrange transport/picking up after school

Do they, Keith?

Several times I missed the school bus for whatever reason. I didn't have a mobile phone (in fact, for the earlier years, we didn't even have a landline) and I, and my contemporaries managed. It was only a four-mile walk home. Didn't do me any harm.