This document outlines principles for schools and external visitors to follow when delivering drug education programs in partnership. It recommends that visitors be aware of effective drug education strategies, avoid inappropriate content, and reflect on sessions. Schools should negotiate content with visitors, ensure visitors understand school policies, and brief visitors on any student sensitivities. Teachers should be present during sessions, assess learning, and follow up on any issues. The goal is to have a positive experience that links to the school's broader drug education curriculum.

1. Principles for Supporting School Drug Education
Principles for partnership working
Recent research carried out by researchers at should ensure that they are using up to date
Hallam Sheffield University found that over half of resources and data.
secondary schools and a third of primary schools where the visitor is from the police service
work in partnership with at least one external they should ensure that they are working to
provider to deliver drug educationi. ACPO’s Joining Forces guidance
(http://bit.ly/lpkTee).
Children and young people often find visitors to
school a useful and informative part of their Schools:
learning, but equally we know that for visits to be should negotiate content with the visitor, to
successful there need to be shared take account of class needs and ensure
understanding about the nature and content of relevance.
the session/s. should ensure that visitors have a clear
understanding about the aims and
Government guidance has been that schools
objectives of the session and they have seen
should exercise caution with the use of visitors as
and understood the school’s drug education
there is some evidence that particular messages
policy.
can have a detrimental impact on young
should ensure that visitors have been briefed
people’s intentions to resist using drugs including
on any particular sensitivities that there may
alcoholii. Particular caution should be used
be in the student group – these may include
when visitors have had firsthand experience of
identified drug issues by particular students
problematic drug use.
or their families – as well as any broader
This short briefing is intended to set out principles needs within the group.
that visitors and schools should consider applying should ensure that where visitors are used
in ensuring a good experience and outcome that the content of the session is linked back
from using external support in a school’s delivery to the broader drug education and PSHE
of drug education. delivered by the school.
Teachers
should be present at all times when a visitor is
Our Principles
in the class, and be ready to be an active
Visitors: participant in these sessions.
should ensure that they reflect on the
should be aware of the key principles of
learning from particular sessions with pupils
effective drug education
and visitors, assessing the learning, and
(http://bit.ly/gUGTFi).
building skills and pro-health attitudes.
should be aware of national and local
should follow-up any unresolved issues and,
approaches to drug education and PSHE
whenever needed, extend the learning
and be able to show that they use evidence
begun by the visitor, in a subsequent lesson.
based strategies.
should be alert to any distress caused or
should avoid shocking images and
concerns raised in the session and ensure
inappropriate descriptions of drug use and
that appropriate support is given.
be sensitive to any distress shown by pupils
during the session.
should reflect on the learning from the i Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE)
session with the teacher and other staff and Education: A mapping study of the prevalent models
where possible with students. of delivery and their effectiveness, DfE (2011)
ii Drugs: Guidance for Schools, DfES (2004)