DRUG TEST 'OK IN SCHOOLS'

SCHOOLS minister Ruth Kelly yesterday cleared the way for random drug
testing of pupils.

The Education Secretary claimed one pilot scheme had been a "hugely
effective" tool in tackling substance abuse.

Ms Kelly told a teachers' conference in Birmingham that she had an
"open mind" about extending the system nationwide.

She said: "Drugs is an issue that is not going away in
schools."

Abbey School in Faversham, Kent, screened 20 pupils a week at random.
Swabs were taken and samples checked for traces of cannabis, cocaine
and ecstasy.

GCSE results leapt significantly last year after the scheme was
introduced.

Ms Kelly said: "It was a hugely effective way of creating peer
pressure against taking drugs."