SCHOOL BARS PUPILS OVER DRUG ABUSE

THREE students have been permanently excluded from a top secondary
school after an investigation into drug abuse.

A further 13 students, all but one in Year 10 at St George's School
in Harpenden, have been temporarily excluded for between five and 10
days depending on their involvement.

The drug abuse first came to light at the end of the summer term but
continued into the first weeks of the new term and involves the use
of cannabis.

Although none of it appears to have happened on school premises, head
teacher Norman Hoare has spelt out to parents where it is occurring.

In a letter to all parents, he describes Rothamsted Park as, "a
notorious area", particularly near the skateboard ramp, Lydekker Park
at the bottom of Sun Lane where the school is situated and public
areas in Wheathampstead.

Mr Hoare said this week that staff had their suspicions that there
was drug abuse among Year 10 students at the end of last term after
hearing rumours through the grapevine and knowing that a lot of
students were congregating at Rothamsted Park.

He went on: "We knew the weather was good but there is something in
your bones when you are teachers and staff were concerned."

Students were interviewed in line with the school's anti-drug policy
and from those interviews, staff learned what had been happening.

Mr Hoare said the cannabis was being supplied from youths outside the
school who targeted areas where young people congregated. He
maintained they came in from Luton and Hemel Hempstead and identified
vulnerable youngsters.

Worrying

He went on: "It is confined to the 14 to 15 age group which is
worrying and another reason why we were so extensive in our
investigations. To start using cannabis in a light way at that age
can lead to a greater involvement when they reach the 16 to 17 age bracket."

Mr Hoare was particularly disappointed as Year 10 had been given a
comprehensive drug presentation in July because that age group was
recognised as vulnerable. He said: "I am upset and cross because we
felt we had done our best with that age group and, having spent so
much time, some of them went out at the end of term and during the
course of August and became involved. It carried on in the first two
to three weeks of September encouraged by the warm weather and the
fair in the park."

Parents had been shocked and upset by the news, Mr Hoare added, and
said his decision to permanently exclude the three students had still
to be ratified by the governing body.

Three years ago the school had two sixth formers excluded for drug
dealing and bringing it on to the premises but the last time there
had been a major incident it had been in the mid 1990s.

But Mr Hoare said that talking to other secondary school heads, it
was clear that there was a recognisable cycle where incidents like
that at St George's blew up and then nothing happened for a while.
But he stressed that unless students learned to say no to drug
pushers, they could expect to be excluded from the school.

Do you think St George's was overreacting or were they right to
exclude the pupils? Visit www.hertsad.co.uk to take part in our online poll.