Mission Statement
The School of Coding is a safe, well ordered and caring environment for learning. It delivers high quality education to all its students and supports them to develop their individual potential for growth, self-worth and self-control.
High quality outstanding teaching, and clear and consistent guidance and support facilitates students in succeeding in education. Our broad and balanced academic and vocational curriculum will provide students with access to a broad range of accredited qualifications as well as educational and social experiences, which will address their learning and emotional needs. Our purpose is to support every student to develop their true potential, make positive contributions to their families and find fulfilment in employment.
Values
- Alternative Provision doesn’t mean a dumping ground…it’s main stream with the reasonable adjustments to succeed
- High standards and high expectations are incredibly important and are the corner stones to a successful school
- The School of Coding should become the go-to place for educators from across the country to see best practice
- Good simply isn’t good enough
- Learning is about a journey and there is more than one way to get to the destination
- Qualifications, manners, respect and opportunity should be the foundations for students that need a second chance.
School Ethos
High standards – students are pushed to achieve beyond their potential, and staff work to ensure everything that we do is better than people expect.
Daring to Dream – students at The School of Coding may have been in an educational setting where they lacked aspiration to be successful, at The School of Coding we challenge students to reach their potential and go on to further education and employment.
Traditional Values – some things often get forgotten in education, at The School of Coding we pride ourselves on mutual respect, good manners, making a positive contribution, supporting one another and an orderly, litter free environment.
Success – can come in many virtues, at The School of Coding we celebrate the small steps every day and tell students when they are doing well. We ensure that students can have a successful future.
Personalised Support – all students at The School of Coding have a Learning Coach who guides them, sets them bespoke targets and supports them in making social and academic progress.
This policy is under continuous review by the Senior Leadership Team because of the changing drugs scene, both nationally and locally.
1.0. Rationale
1.1. The School of Coding wants its pupils to be able to take their place safely in the world where a wide range of drugs exists. We recognise that some drugs have beneficial medicinal effects, but also that every drug has potential harm. For this reason, all drugs need appropriate and responsible care and management. In order to be able to make informed choices, staff and pupils need to understand the nature of drugs, their social and legal status, their uses and effects.
1.2. As a statutory duty, in order to promote pupils’ wellbeing, The School of Coding has a clear role to play in preventing drugs misuse as part of its pastoral responsibilities. To support this, the Government’s Drug Strategy 2010 ensures that school staff have the information, advice and power to:
- Provide accurate information on drugs and alcohol through education and targeted information, including via the FRANK service;
- Tackle problem behaviour in schools, with wider powers of search and confiscation;
- Work with local voluntary organisations, health partners, the police, and others, to prevent drug or alcohol misuse.
1.3. The School of Coding has a safeguarding duty in respect of all of its pupils, regarding safe and appropriate use of drugs as per the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance. Schools will share relevant data with the Local Authority and other relevant professionals as required. Please read this policy alongside the Behaviour, Health and Safety and Safeguarding policies.
1.4. This policy has been written with reference to national and LA guidelines and been informed by relevant research data.
2.0. Aims
2.1. To acknowledge and clarify the school’s role in drug prevention and drug education and ensure it is appropriate to pupils’ needs. This policy will provide information about procedures in response to any drug-related incident and provide guidance to tutors, support staff and outside visitors.
2.2. To have clear procedures for responding to drug-related incidents, consistent with our Behaviour Policy.
2.3. To ensure that The School of Coding takes a whole school approach on the issue of drugs; as part of its commitment to being a healthy school.
3.0. Drugs on The School of Coding Premises:
3.1. The legal definition of premises of a school includes everything within the property boundaries including buildings, outbuildings and also extends to include other settings such as vehicles or any venue managed by the school at the time e.g., premises of a school trip or visit.
3.2. Definition of a drug:
- A drug is a substance that affects the way in which the body functions physically, emotionally or mentally. This definition includes illegal substances and also legal substances such as: alcohol & tobacco, volatile substances, over the counter & prescription medicines.
Medicines
The School of Coding has a procedure for the administration of medicines that must be followed for everyone’s safety. Please refer to the Medical Policy for more specific information.
Alcohol
No alcohol will be consumed during the course of a normal school day. Pupils and visitors under the effects of alcohol will be asked to leave the premises and return at a later date for the safety of the whole school. Parents will be asked to collect their children and consequences will be issued in line with the school’s Behaviour Policy.
Smoking
The School of Coding is a non-smoking site, at all times. Pupils are not permitted to bring to school smoking materials, including matches, lighters, or electronic devices. In the interests of health and safety, should a pupil be found in possession of any of these on school premises, they will be confiscated and parents requested to collect the items. Should the items not be collected by a specified date then The School of Coding will dispose of them appropriately. Consequences will be issued in line with the school’s Behaviour Policy.
Illegal drugs
No illegal drugs are allowed to be brought on to, or used on The School of Coding premises.
Solvents
The School of Coding will ensure that potentially hazardous substances are stored safely, and pupils will be supervised if it is necessary that they come into contact with them in the course of their work. Pupils are not permitted to be in possession of sniff-able products.
New Psychoactive Substances
(NPSs or ‘legal highs’) The School of Coding does not allow NPSs on site. These are now either under the control of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or subject to the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (PS Act) and as such, have no place in a school setting.
4.0. The Management of Drug Related Incidents
4.1. The School of Coding is committed to tackling drug misuse among pupils. Instances of possession, use, or supply of drugs, on school premises will be regarded with utmost seriousness and depending upon particular circumstances, will lead to permanent exclusion from The School of Coding.
In managing any incidents, the following tenets must apply:
- The welfare of all the pupils in the school is paramount
- Parent/Guardian involvement is necessary
- The requirements of the Law and Trust policy will be upheld
4.2. Responses to drug related incidents:
A drug related incident may be any of the following:
- Finding drugs, or related paraphernalia, on school premises;
- Possession of drugs by an individual on school premises;
- Use of drugs by an individual on school premises;
- Supply of drugs on school premises;
- Individuals disclosing information about their drug use; Rumours of parents, staff or pupils using drugs; or Reports of parents, staff or pupils using drugs.
4.3. Where there is a possibility that a pupil may have drugs in their possession, staff at a The School of Coding, under the general power to discipline, as set out in Section 91 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, enabling a member of staff to confiscate, retain or dispose of a pupil’s property as a disciplinary penalty, where reasonable to do so.
Where the member of staff finds other substances, which are not believed to be controlled drugs, these can be confiscated where a tutor believes them to be harmful or detrimental to good order and discipline. This would include new psychoactive substances or legal highs. If school staff are unable to identify the legal status of a drug, it will be treated as a controlled drug, although the police may be called to support in that situation.
4.4. The School of Coding staff are not required to inform parents before a search takes place or to seek parental consent to search a pupil. Whilst there is no legal requirement to make or keep a record of a search, The School of Coding staff will do so on a secure system.
4.5. The School of Coding staff will normally inform the individual pupil’s parents or guardians where alcohol, illegal drugs or potentially harmful substances are found, though there is no legal requirement to do so.
4.6. Complaints about searching should be dealt with through the normal school complaints procedure.
4.7. Complete secrecy can never be promised to a pupil, though information given in confidence will not generally be disclosed to anyone else. In particular, if a pupil chooses to disclose that they are using a drug without medical authorisation, this information will not be used against them. However, action will be taken to ensure the pupil comes to no serious harm if this is considered a risk. Regarding disclosures, staff need to carefully define and communicate the boundaries of confidentiality offered.
5.0. Legal Drugs
5.1 Staff at The School of Coding will not normally involve the police for incidents involving legal drugs. However, staff may decide to inform trading standards or police about the inappropriate sale or supply of tobacco, alcohol or volatile substances to pupils in the local area.
5.2 NPSs, although labelled as legal, are not always safe to use and often contain controlled drugs making them illegal to possess. The School of Coding will treat the possession of NPSs as unauthorised substances. If there is uncertainty about what the substance is, it should be treated as a controlled drug.
6.0 Controlled Drugs
6.1. In taking temporary possession and disposing of suspected controlled drugs The School of Coding staff will:
- ensure that a second adult witness is present throughout;
- seal the sample in a plastic bag and include details of the date and time of the seizure/find and witness present;
- store it in a secure location, such as a safe or other lockable container with access limited to senior members of staff;
- notify the police without delay, who will collect it and then store or dispose of it in line with locally agreed protocols. The law does not require a school to divulge to the police the name of the pupil from whom the drugs were taken but it is advisable to do so;
- record full details of the incident, including the police incident reference number;
- inform parents/carers, unless this is not in the best interests of the pupil;
- identify any safeguarding concerns and develop a support and disciplinary response.
6.2. If a pupil is suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol on The School of Coding premises, the staff will prioritise the safety of the young person and those around them. If necessary, it will be dealt with as a medical emergency, administering First Aid and summoning appropriate support. Depending on the circumstances, parents or the police may need to be contacted. If the child is felt to be at risk the Safeguarding Policy will come into effect and social services may need to be contacted.
7.0. Early Intervention
7.1. Early intervention regarding drug miss-use can be provided through thorough drugs education that is age and developmentally appropriate. The School of Coding has a drugs education programme.
8.0. Pupils whose parents/carers or family members misuse drugs
8.1. The School of Coding staff will be alert to behaviour which might indicate that the child is experiencing difficult home circumstances. Staff will all be pro-active in the early identification of children’s and young people’s needs and in safeguarding the children in their care. Where problems are observed or suspected, or if a child chooses to disclose that there are difficulties at home then advice will be sought as per the safeguarding policy.
This page was last updated on 19/01/2023