PUPILS REVEAL ALL IN BIGGEST EVER SURVEY OF VIEWS

SCHOOLGIRLS are set to get special classes on the dangers of smoking
and drinking under plans being considered by education chiefs on the
back of the biggest ever survey of the city's youngsters.

More than 17,000 pupils took part in the study which gives a
fascinating insight into attitudes towards school, as well as the
extent of crime, smoking, drink and drug abuse amongst youngsters.

One of the main findings was that girls are significantly more likely
to smoke and binge-drink than boys. The survey, which questioned 12
to 17-year-olds, also revealed that one in five of the city's
youngsters admitted to shoplifting or carrying out an act of
vandalism in the last year. Around 300 pupils also claimed they had
sold or dealt illegal drugs.

Council chiefs today said the survey gives them a valuable insight
into what influences young people's behaviour and will allow them to
adapt their support services, like special lessons to educate girls
on the dangers of drink and cigarettes.

The city's education leader, Councillor Ewan Aitken, said: "We are
the first local authority to carry out this kind of work and it gives
us a great opportunity to map out our future provision. One of the
issues we do need to look at is parental control and the support
available to them but without getting into finger-pointing territory.

"We need to ask the question: 'Does the increase in alcohol intake
amongst girls mean we need to look at the idea of special classes for
them?' The survey was very positive about school life but the pupils
are only there for around 15 per cent of their time so it is also
about what goes on beyond the school gates."

Willie Barr, manager of the Citadel Youth Centre, which attracts
around 120 youngsters to its youth clubs every week, said the figures
on drug and alcohol abuse were not surprising.

He said: "It is vital young people have access to support and
information outwith school, and these results seem to indicate that
it is especially important for young women.

"The creation of long-lasting relationships with people they trust is
crucial if they are to tackle the issues raised in this survey."

'I think that everyone has to take a part of the blame' TWO teenagers
who took part in the survey were at pains to challenge some of the
negative stereotypes that are readily applied to the Capital's youngsters.

Louise Trotter and Natalie Robertson are volunteers at the council's
Youth Services Advisory Committee (YSAC).

Louise, 16, was a pupil at James Gillespie's High School when she
took part in the survey, and is now studying at Telford College.

She said: "When we looked at the findings there were some things that
looked surprising. But the fact that young people had been involved
in binge-drinking isn't that surprising."

Asked whether teenagers were wholly to blame for their misdemeanours,
Louise said: "I think everyone has to take a part of the blame.
Communities and parents have a role in resolving issues that affect
their children.

"The findings show girls are drinking more than boys. One answer
might be that girls mature faster."

Natalie, 18, who recently left Balerno High School said: "My group of
friends don't binge-drink or get involved in crime. I think a
majority of young people are not involved in these things.

"People can get involved in other activities - like the Youth
Services Advisory Committee, where we get involved in planning and
decision making on behalf of young people." Natalie welcomed the
survey, adding: "It's a good base for developing strategies to change
perceptions of young people."

SMOKING

NEARLY two-thirds of the city's schoolchildren have never smoked a
cigarette, according to the survey.

The Capital was six per cent under a national average of 40 per cent
of youngsters who had tried smoking.

Tough health messages on the consequences of smoking appear to be
getting through to teenagers even if some do choose to ignore them.

Seventy-nine per cent of those surveyed thought smoking 20 or more
cigarettes a day for a lifetime was "very likely" to be harmful.
Teenagers in years S3 to S5 are twice as likely to have tried a
cigarette than those in the first or second year of secondary school.

And smoking continues to be a bigger problem among teenage girls than
boys in Edinburgh.

Thirty per cent of girls said they had smoked their first cigarette
by 13, compared with 21 per cent of boys.

Health experts have long warned that teenage girls are more likely to
smoke in a bid to appear more grown-up or even try and stay in shape.

Eight per cent of girls questioned said they were regular smokers
compared to only three per cent of boys.

EDUCATION

THE majority of the city's secondary pupils have a positive attitude
to school and the support they receive in class.

A total of 93 per cent agreed there were lots of chances for pupils
to get involved in sports, clubs and other activities during break
time and after school.

And 87 per cent of all teenagers said they had the opportunity to be
part of class discussions and activities.

A gender difference was noticeable when it came to helping decide
class activities and rules. Fifty-five per cent of girls said they
had a lot of chances to get involved, compared to only 49 per cent of
boys. Boys, on the other hand, were far more likely than girls to say
they felt they had lots of opportunities to talk to their teacher on
a one-to-one basis.

The majority of youngsters found teachers would be willing to praise
them if they did well in school. A total of 83 per cent said that
teacher noticed when they did well.

Seventy-seven per cent agreed their teachers praised them when they
worked hard at school. The survey also revealed that a quarter of the
city's schoolchildren have played truant from school during the last year.

PARENTS

NEARLY one in five of the Capital's parents don't know where their
children are or who they there are with, according to the research findings.

Nineteen per cent of boys surveyed fell into this category, compared
with just 14 per cent of girls.

A further 42 per cent of all pupils surveyed said they would not be
caught by their parents if they drank alcohol.

The role of parental supervision and discipline was explored
extensively in the study and it was revealed that 13 per cent felt
their family did not have clear rules about alcohol and drugs.

If a teenager wasn't going to make it home on time, then 15 per cent
claimed their parents would not know.

It was also revealed that nearly a third of pupils agreed that people
in their family often insulted or yelled at each other.

Boys were significantly more likely than girls to say their parents
would not want them to phone if there was a chance of them being late
getting home.

On the other hand, girls were more likely than boys to say their
parents did not ask them about their homework.

CRIME

ONE in five of those surveyed admitted stealing something from a shop
in the last year. A further 24 per cent said they had committed an
act of vandalism on somebody else's property.

Some of the pupils surveyed had no qualms about handling stolen goods.

Seventeen per cent had bought, sold or held on to something known to
have been stolen within the past year. Violence among young people
was also exposed through the survey, with around 1400 youngsters
admitting they had attacked someone with the idea of seriously hurting them.

Some pupils admitted being involved with car crime. Three per cent
admitted stealing or attempting to steal a car, van or motorbike or
something from a vehicle.

The survey also demonstrated a clear gender divide on crime, with
boys significantly more likely to say they were involved in offending.

Boys are three times as likely to carry a weapon and twice as likely
to have been arrested within the last year. Three per cent of boys
admitted dealing in drugs but only one per cent of girls.

ALCOHOL/DRUGS

BINGE-DRINKING is more common amongst the city's girls than boys.
Twenty-nine per cent of girls surveyed admitted having five or more
alcoholic drinks in a row in the past four weeks, compared with 26
per cent of boys.

Two thirds of all 12 to 17-year-olds have tried alcohol according to
the research. Last week, the Evening News revealed how much alcohol
could be bought for UKP10 in the city's shops, with health experts
warning of the dire health consequences for teenagers.

Concerns were raised about the easy availability of booze and the
survey appears to support this with 61 per cent of respondents saying
it was easy or very easy to get hold of alcohol. Drug taking is less
common amongst the city's teenagers, with 16 per cent trying drugs at
least once.

This was more prevalent amongst 13 to 16-year-olds, with nearly a
quarter claiming they had tried drugs.

Those taking part in the survey seem to be aware of the side-effects
of regular drinking and drug taking. Fifty-nine per cent of Edinburgh
pupils thought it was "very likely" that drinking one or two
alcoholic drinks nearly every day would be harmful.