PRIVATE SCHOOLS DITCH HARD LINE ON DRUGS

TWO of Scotland's leading private schools have admitted relaxing the 'zero
tolerance' approach to drugs that has seen dozens of pupils across the
country expelled in recent years.

Loretto and Merchiston Castle say they no longer automatically throw out
youngsters caught in possession of drugs provided they agree to random
tests in future.

The schools deny taking a liberal stance, insisting the move is an
'enlightened' reaction to the modern day reality of young people and drug use.

Most private schools have adopted an increasingly hard line in recent
years, and there have been several occasions where pupils were expelled for
possession of cannabis.

But there is growing evidence that schools are reviewing their policies in
the light of evidence of the extent of drug use by young people and the
growing realisation in some quarters that the 'war' on drugs will never be won.

Expulsion remains the likely outcome for pupils who deal or are found with
Class A drugs. But the advent of cheap and effective drugs tests means
schools are now more likely to consider helping those caught smoking cannabis.

Michael Mavor, headmaster of Loretto School in Musselburgh, East Lothian,
has moved his school away from "zero tolerance" after bringing about
similar changes to the famous Rugby boarding school in Coventry. He agreed
there had been a "major departure" in schools' drug policies over the past
four years.

"My thinking was changed a few years ago after surveys came out that showed
40% of 14-year-olds have sampled some illegal substance," he said.

"Since the late 1990s there has been a sea-change in people's outlook on
drugs policy. I think there is a lot more realism. We are recognising that
many young people do sample drugs, especially cannabis.

"We have to face up to the fact that people do come into contact with drugs
at parties or whatever."

Under the new system at the UKP 18,000-a-year boarding school, pupils who
are caught using drugs 'lose their right to stay at the school' but would
not necessarily be excluded.

Mavor added that outright examples of pupils being caught with drugs were
rare and in most cases pupils were only suspected of offences.

If pupils in such cases were honest about their involvement, the threat of
expulsion would be removed but they would have to submit to regular testing.

He said: "When we feel there may be drugs involved, we say to pupils that
if everybody tells the truth then we will pursue the matter without
disciplinary consequences.

"If people have been involved with drugs then their parents are informed
and they must agree to avoid drugs and take urine tests each term for the
remainder of their school career. There has been only one incident in my
three years here."

Andrew Hunter, headteacher at Merchiston Castle, Edinburgh, the only
all-boys boarding school in Scotland, said he had been 'appalled' by the
recent reclassification of cannabis as a class C drug but admitted that his
school had moved away from a hardline policy.

"This is not a liberal approach, but an enlightened approach," he said. "In
a perfect world we would aspire to zero tolerance but the world is not
perfect and we have to use our judgment. You can't afford to say that I
absolutely and utterly believe in expelling all pupils involved in drugs
but every boy must understand that involvement in drugs puts their place at
this school under risk.

"The key thing is that all parents like schools to have strong policies on
drugs. But when it is their own son or daughter that makes a mistake it can
suddenly become very distressing."

In cases where Merchiston pupils were caught dealing drugs or in possession
of class A drugs, they would most likely still be expelled, but for other
incidents the headteacher said that less severe action could be taken.

Since taking control at the 420-pupil school five years ago, Hunter said a
total of five pupils had been given twice-termly urine tests as a condition
of being allowed to stay on.

Other schools vowed to retain a hard line on drugs. George Watson's College
in Edinburgh recently disciplined three pupils after pictures showing them
smoking cannabis at a party emerged.

George Watson's said the trio escaped expulsion only because they had not
committed the offence on the campus grounds. Deputy principal Heather
Wilson said their tough drugs policy remained unchanged.

"Our policy is under revision constantly, but we are very committed to
remaining a safe environment and that means permanently excluding anyone
who brings drugs into the campus," he said.

A survey conducted by health chiefs in Tayside in 1999 showed levels of
drug abuse were the same in both private and state schools, with around 26%
of S1-S4 pupils in each sector admitting to experimenting with illegal drugs.