DARE WE DROP VITAL SCHEME?

Primary schools have been forced to drop a drugs programme after the
charity behind it began charging them UKP 10 per pupil. There are now
concerns over the effect on the children missing out.

Drugs ruin lives. Crime, addiction or a possible overdose are just some of
the tragic consequences of taking them. That is why education is vital.

Teaching children at an early age about the dangers can be the difference
between them refusing to take them or becoming an addict in later life.

But a number of Notts schoolchildren are going to be denied that advice -
and drug experts, parents and teachers are already fearing the consequences.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) is an internationally run programme
which sees police officers go into schools to offer free advice to nine to
11-year-olds.

It was first set up in the UK in Mansfield 11 years ago and 349 primaries
are now on board.

But this year it ran into financial difficultly - overspending by UKP
50,000. To stem any further problems a letter was sent to every primary
informing them they would have to pay UKP 10 per pupil if they wanted the
service to continue.

On the face of it a paltry sum, but when a school, already running at a
loss, has around 100 pupils for the programme, that quickly rises to UKP 1,000.

So far 30 primary schools have dropped the programme and, of the 262 which
have agreed to pay, some are being forced to dip into school budgets to do so.

A further 57 are still to reply.

Dalys Cranstone, head teacher at Cantrell Primary in Bulwell, has been
involved in DARE from the start and has also spoken at a number of its
conferences.

Her school is dropping the programme at the end of this term - a decision
not taken lightly.

"We did it very reluctantly and are very unhappy," said Ms Cranstone.

"But we already have a deficit with our budget.

"We will have nearly 70 pupils in year six next year, that means UKP 700.
It is a lot of money just to educate one year."

She has no doubt pupils will suffer.

"DARE makes a significant difference. I have seen it here in the school,
because it is a police officer doing it who has authority and is credible."

The school will set up its own similar scheme, but she is doubtful of its
success.

"We will do something with the teachers, but it won't be as successful or
effective.

"And that worries me. We need DARE here. It is Bulwell we are talking
about, it has drug problems."

She is not alone with those fears.

Keith Wood, chairman of the Rushcliffe Drugs Reference Group, believes DARE
is one of the best projects of its kind. He predicts difficult times if
schools drop the programme.

"This is a worrying situation, particularly for those schools where there
are problems with drugs in the community, the inner-city schools.

"If they don't get this training I think we will see an increasing drugs
problems over the next few years."

John Hannon, a parent at Whitemoor Primary, in Bracknell Crescent,
Whitemoor, said: "They need to find funding for this, it is imperative. I
feel very strongly about the problems with drug and alcohol abuse and
children need to be aware of the dangers.

"I will teach my children at home, but it is not enough. There are too many
pressures on children and I worry what is going to happen if they are left
to find out for themselves."

Mark Shaw, whose daughter goes to the school, said: "Drugs are everywhere
today, you see them all the time. It was different when I was younger, but
children today need more help.

"They can't stop this. I will pay for it if I have to. But if the children
don't get this, they will not know how to say no."

Alistair Lang, DARE's chief executive, says he is worried about the schools
which have dropped the programme. .

"I am pleased that around 90% of schools are keeping the programme," he
said. "But what is worrying us is out of the schools that are saying no, 17
of them are in the city and that is exactly the area we need to get into.

"We know they have the greatest needs and drug problems, but they are now
missing out."

But one of the charity's local funders, the Nottingham Drug and Alcohol
Action Team, thinks schools would not suffer.

Clare Gilbert, young people's strategic lead, said: "To be honest I don't
think there will be any problems. There are a lot of other initiatives and
programmes going on in schools which will address the same issues.

"It is just one of many resources schools are happy to use.

"The problem with DARE is we don't how good it is. No research has been
done yet, so we don't know if it has worked."

She said it would continue funding the charity, but would not provide
additional money because of the other projects available and because it had
its funding cut this year.

At present there are no UK figures showing how successful the programme is,
although the charity is planning to launch a three-year survey this year.

A recent survey in America showed children who have gone through the
programme are 19% more likely to condone using drugs; five per cent more
likely to refuse drink, drugs or cigarettes; and four per cent less likely
to use inhalants.

The charity, which is funded in a variety of ways including trusts,
individual and corporate sponsorship and donations, is desperate to keep
the programme running in all schools and has tried every funding avenue to
pay for the costs.

But to no avail.

"The problem has been we are not able to meet our costs, we are exhausting
our resources and the programme has to be funded one way or another," said
Mr Lang.

"It costs UKP 16 to put the children through the course, we are asking
schools to contribute the majority of that.

"It is up to them how they find that money, from fund-raising or parents.

"But we need to do this across the board, it is not fair just to do it to
schools that can afford it."

DARE now runs nationwide, but it is only Notts and city of Nottingham
schools that will be charged from September.

"Ninety per cent of our efforts and people who go through the programme are
from here," said Mr Lang. "Other places are a lot smaller and have been a
lot more successful with funding, so they don't have the same
administration problems."

Unfortunately it is unlikely DARE will be helped out at a local level.
Neither local council funds the programme.

Coun Graham Chapman, cabinet member for education in the city, said: "There
is nothing we can do. We can't go on bailing out school budgets or we would
be doing it every time a scheme was short of money."

And Coun Mick Storey, his county counterpart, said: "Ninety per cent of our
money already goes to schools, there is not any left to give. We already
struggle with our special needs requirements and are under pressure with
the budget, so we can't help out with this."

But one person who has not given up the fight is Nottingham North MP Graham
Allen.

He is lobbying Parliament, businesses and community groups for help.

"This is not a lot of money. It is UKP 50,000," he said. "It just takes a
little bit from everyone. You would think, with all the pots of cash in
Notts, they could find this money somehow."

He is one of DARE's greatest supporters and wants it in every school in
Britain.

"It is not only teaching kids about drink, drugs or smoking, it gives them
self confidence, belief in themselves and that is so important," said Mr Allen.

"It helps with educational development.

"I think this is one of the best drugs programmes around.

"I would rather spend UKP 1 on drugs education than leaving it and years
down the line having to spend hundreds on drugs rehabilitation."

Andy Fox, head teacher at St Ann's Well Junior, in St Ann's, agrees.

His school was faced with the dilemma over paying for the course or
dropping it.

At first they decided to drop it, but after a meeting decided against it.

"I have 30 pupils who will go through it next year, that is UKP 300, but we
don't care," he said. "We will get the funding somehow, from elsewhere in
the school, fund-raising, it doesn't matter. This is just too important to
drop.

"We know it makes a difference and, if only one pupils is saved from drugs,
it is worth it.

"This school is in St Ann's so we know how important it is to get the
message about the dangers of drugs over."

The current year six have just graduated from the programme.

Ashley Cannop, ten, said: "If I didn't do the programme I would not know
about drugs. If I found something in the street or was given something and
it looked like a sweet, I would have taken it before. But now I wouldn't
even touch it."

Stephanie Rowlands, ten, said DARE has given her the confidence to say no.

"We know about the consequences of drugs, smoking and drink and what it
does to your body. Now we would just say no to people and walk away.

"I think every child should get taught about drugs, because they are
throwing their lives away."

Project help

Max Biddulph, from the School of Education at the University of Nottingham,
is an expert on drugs education.

He said: "I think that together with sex and relationship education, drug
education is a completely crucial element of personal, social health
education and to withdraw it would be very regrettable to say the least.

"What an intervention like the DARE project does is provide some official
knowledge about drugs.

"Kids will have a lot of informal knowledge but some of what they know may
be hearsay or rumour so I think it's really important for young people to
have the opportunity to discuss the topic in a rational, reasoned way with
the assistance of adults.

"The experience of using police officers around the country has been
extremely powerful. It gives the work a great deal of credibility.

"DARE also brought different community agencies together like the police,
youth services, education - and this is a really powerful combination.

"Drugs are a very big issue for teachers to deal with on their own and I
guess what will happen is that the whole weight of drugs education will
fall back on the shoulders of teachers.

"Inevitably they will feel vulnerable because of feedback to be
communicating the right message. Either it won't get addressed at all
because teachers will play it safe or it might get delivered in a rather
conservative form."

School programme began in America

DARE was set up in Los Angeles in 1983 following demand for a drug
education programme for young children.

Within a few years it had become an international programme, taught in
schools around the world. This year 36 million children are expected to
graduate from it.

In Britain it was first set up in Mansfield in 1993 and quickly rolled out
to schools around the county and city. Within years, it was run nationwide.

But the majority of the UK work and programmes are Notts-based - of the
estimated 16,000 who go through each year, around 13,000 are Notts
schoolchildren.

DARE is funded from a variety of sources and works with different sectors,
including the police, health groups, teachers and parents.

It is taught in primary schools - generally to nine to 11-year-olds. A
police officer is assigned to a school and visits over the 14 weeks to
teach about the dangers of drugs, smoking and drink. But it also looks at
other issues, such as developing self-confidence.

The teaching is done through booklets, plays, debates and videos. The
children are also set tasks to carry out at home, work that is meant to
involve parents.

At the end of the course they attend a graduation ceremony and are
presented with certificates.

It is one of only a handful of projects which use police officers and that
is what experts consider to be its main success.