Today, Public Health Wales has published new guidance for
secondary schools to tackle vaping.
The guidance sets out
details of vaping use among young people in Wales and actions
schools can take to address vaping.
Figures from the School Health Research Network show that 20% of
young people from year 7 to year 11 say they’ve tried vaping,
with 5% of secondary school pupils in Wales vaping at least once
a week.
Health and Well-being is a mandatory part of the new Curriculum
for Wales, and the guidance provides opportunities to introduce
learning about vaping and vaping devices. This should be
delivered as part of broader substance misuse education.
The guidance also includes advice for schools to expand their
smoking and behaviour policies to address the rise in vaping.
Schools are encouraged to develop this with learners, staff and
their wider school community.
The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, said: " No one under 18
should be vaping. Schools are telling us this is a real issue,
whether it's because of peer pressure, colourful marketing
targeted at children or a lack of understanding of the potential
health risks. I hope this new guidance will help pupils
understand the impact of vaping so they can make the right
decisions.
"Our new curriculum gives teachers the flexibility to adapt their
lessons to suit issues and challenges facing their pupils this
should include learning about the health and well-being impacts
of vaping. All secondary schools are now teaching this curriculum
to years 7 and 8, and this resource will support all secondary
school pupils."
The Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, said:
“Vapes have no place in the hands of children and young people
and supporting people to have a smoke-free childhood is a
priority.
“Giving our young people the tools they need to stay healthy is
an important way we can help them to improve their health and
wellbeing. This guidance will help schools to highlight the
health risks of vaping and support young people who may be
addicted and wish to stop.”
Dr Julie Bishop, Director of Health Improvement at Public Health
Wales, said:
“Our work with the multi-agency incident response group has
highlighted significant new challenges that our education
settings are experiencing when responding to vaping among young
people in Wales. We hope this comprehensive guidance will provide
the first step in supporting education staff in addressing this
growing issue.”
