Credit: This story was first seen on The Daily Mail
Pupils at a £30,000-a-year private school face drug tests over fears of the ‘party scene’ and the ‘wide availability of drugs within society’, The Daily Mail reports.
Trent College in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, has informed parents it is clamping down on illegal substances.
The college, an independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 3-18, will be randomly testing pupils aged 15 and over if suspected of using drugs.
This week it sent letters to parents about its new policy and invited them to an ‘information evening’ about drugs awareness, the Nottingham Post reported.
The letter referred to concerns about the ‘party scene’ and the ‘increasing problem of hard drugs in universities.’
It said the session related to ‘current concerns regarding smoking and drugs’ and that it would be ‘introducing random drugs testing for pupils in Years 10 and above’.
Trent College did not elaborate which drugs would be tested for, or the consequences for pupils with a positive result.
But it stated that parents would have to give permission prior to their children being tested.
It is legal for schools to randomly test their pupils for drugs, and many employers test their workers for drugs as part of standard procedure.
Magnus Cowie, deputy head of pastoral at Trent College, told the Nottingham Post: “The welfare of our students is of the utmost importance to us at Trent, as it is to our pupils’ parents. We have no evidence of drug-taking at Trent College. However, like all schools, we would be naive to believe that our students don’t come into contact with tobacco, alcohol and drugs given their wide availability within society. The drug awareness sessions for parents are designed to inform parents of the drugs scene in a wider social sense, using evidence from across the UK.”
Christopher Corbett, leader of Erewash Borough Council, said he backed the drugs testing.
“I should think any large school will end up doing it”, he added.
Human rights and childrens’ campaigners have warned that forcing pupils to undergo drugs testing is an infringement of their privacy.
Others say drug abuse among youngsters is a huge cause of concern, and welcome the measure.
It comes as three pupils from the prestigious £37,000 per-year Harrow School were treated by paramedics after taking a suspected ‘bad batch’ of ecstasy pills.
The teenagers are believed to have purchased 20 ecstasy tablets from a drug dealer in the nearby town centre before heading back to their house where they later took the pills before collapsing at around midnight.
The sixth-form students, all aged about 17, have now been suspended from the school following the incident last Wednesday.
It is understood one of the pupils has left the prestigious school.