FOI Request - Drugs in Schools

Request 101003328928

1. How many children were excluded from school after being found to be under the influence of illegal substances/drugs and/or in possession of illegal substances/drugs either on school premises or during a school trip in the financial year April 2019 to 2020? Please provide any additional detail as appropriate.

2. How many children were excluded from school after being found to be under the influence of illegal substances/drugs and/or in possession of illegal substances/drugs either on school premises or during a school trip in the financial year April 2020 to 2021? Please provide any additional detail as appropriate.

3. How many children were excluded from school after being found to be under the influence of illegal substances/drugs and/or in possession of illegal substances/drugs either on school premises or during a school trip in the financial year April 2021 to 2022? Please provide any additional detail as appropriate.

4. How many children were excluded from school after being found to be under the influence of illegal substances/drugs and/or in possession of illegal substances/drugs either on school premises or during a school trip in the financial year April 2022 to 2023? Please provide any additional detail as appropriate.

5. How many children were excluded from school after being found to be under the influence of illegal substances/drugs and/or in possession of illegal substances/drugs either on school premises or during a school trip in the current financial year since April 2023?

6. What were the age ranges of the children involved?

7. What types of substances were involved or recovered, ie cannabis, cocaine or class A, B, C?

8. Did any of the incidents require police involvement, and if so please provide some details if possible?

(I am aware that some of the time period covered remote learning during the pandemic and the figures are likely to be affected by that).

Response 15-06-2023

Please note that the data below is given per academic year due to the way it is recorded on our system. 

The following two exclusion reasons were used:

Substance misuse - Alcohol
Substance misuse - No Alcohol

1. 2018/19 - 14 / 14 (no. incidents / no. pupils)

2. 2019/20 - 6 / 6

3. 2020/21 - 9 / 8

4. 2021/22 - 15 / 15

5. 2022/23 - 10 / 10

6. Age ranges from S1 pupils to S5 pupils

7. Not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

8. Not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.