Year 9 (U4) looked at the short and long-term effects of vaping, drinking alcohol and using cannabis, the legal consequences of taking drugs and, most importantly, how they can manage peer influence and other pressures. Concerns about alcohol abuse remain in the forefront of many people’s minds, especially as the media reported in February this year that alcohol-related deaths had reached an all time high in 2024 with 10,473 people dying as a result. Mrs Hall and Mr Brockhurst both noted that their groups responded really positively to the lessons and that many thoughtful group discussions took place in the classrooms. 

Leading on from this, year 10 (L5) spent several weeks revisiting the risks of drinking alcohol and taking drugs with a focus on assessing personal safety in social situations and how to recognise when peer and media influence can be detrimental to their physical and emotional wellbeing. Additionally, they also watched the BBC iPlayer documentary Young and Addicted: Generation Ketamine which explored the fact that since 2016, the numbers of people using and becoming addicted to ketamine has more than doubled. The documentary explored some young people’s stories to find out why this is happening, the physical and psychological consequences and the support that is available. Mrs Hardcastle noted that, ‘Whilst it is a difficult and mature topic to explore, it is a vital one for our pupils to be aware of. The current addiction figures in young people under the age of 25 are alarming and we hope that by highlighting the dangers, we can help equip our pupils to recognise the signs of ketamine addiction and how they could help someone seek support.’