Following on from an inspiring talk from Fiona Spargo-Mabbs from the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation regarding drugs in a Pshe session, I started to think about why PSHE is useful and the issue of drugs needs to be addressed more throughout the country. The national curriculum states that ‘all schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education, drawing on good practice'. The relationships and health aspects of PSHE education will be compulsory in all schools from 2020.
As part of receiving results for GCSEs many students go to the music festival Reading and Leeds and spend a weekend away from their parents where some of them indulge in substances like drugs and alcohol. The issue of underage drinking and substance abuse needs to be addressed to children from their early teen years as these substances become more accessible due to cheap prices and peoples want for money. Many teenagers experiment with different substances for fun but go into the experience without being aware of the dangers and issues they can be faced with. Whilst it would be hard to crack down on the problem of people taking illegal drugs, it should be a necessity in schools as part of the PSHE programme that all children receive a talk about drugs. There were 4,359 deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales in 2018 which is the highest number and the highest annual increase (16%) since the time series began in 1993. With this number of deaths increasing each year action needs to be taken and a simple talk to the UK’s youth could help immensely if and when people experiment with drugs.
