Temporary exclusion and threatened permanent exclusion

A little experience here but how I would approach the meeting would be hoping for the best and electing the worst.
You need to demonstrate that as a parent you have taken the matter seriously and that your son is not going to do it again. He needs to be authentic and genuine as do you and not diminishing the 'drugs'. Think about the school and why they would let him back and take the risk. He does have rights but so do the other kids.
Is he taking the incident seriously is he bothered your comment about the careers service and college worries me

Op, what about your DS's obligation to comply with the law, and with school rules?

Mutual respect. Can I suggest you acquaint yourself with the definition of mutual?

Nobody is saying ignore his rights for goodness sakes. Have you actually read what people have been saying?

What we are saying is that you also need to take into account his responsibilities. Marching in there with talk of lawyers and rights without mentioning how he will carry out his responsibilities and how you will support and help him in this will create a very negative impression. And possibly a negative impression.

As will your extremely flippant attitude to the drugs.

Wow, wait a moment.

My 14 year old has a right to be educated in a school where there aren't people using/selling/possessing drugs.

Rights come with responsibilities.

I notice you are resolutely ignoring all the posts telling you that you need to readjust your attitude before you go in.

And college not being a desirable option is dorrhing he should've thought of before carrying illegal drugs in a school!

You might not be in a position to choose

OP I would beg you to be realistic about this situation. In my school a student who has been excluded has a readmission meeting. I've not heard of a resolution meeting; I therefore wouldn't assume they are the same thing - although it could be a terminology thing between different councils. Going to college would still allow Highers. The attitude you and your son appear to be demonstrating will do neither of you any favours.

Do not remove your son unless you have personally made AND CONFIRMED arrangements for him to attend another school. If YOU remove him to try home education, or intending to try for a college "at some point" the local authority will not have to find him a school place. You run a very real risk of him ending up with no qualifications and not much chance for the future!

I would remove him from the school and the situation he is in.
It would be better to have a fresh start and for him to forget about things.

Skills Development Scotland. Used to be known as the careers service.

Absolutely invaluable. Ours would be very happy to have a chat to a student in the circumstances your son is in. They are an independent party and will be able to support your son no matter what happens in school.

Please educate yourself and your son about cannabis. It's not just that it is illegal. It also is linked to serious mental health issues for a start. It's not just nicotine you should worry about.
Most schools would permanently exclude. It's drugs. They don't tolerate it. Your son broke the law. At school. I think unless he can shows he knows he's a fucking idiot and can somehow prove he will never do it again then he's going to be excluded.

Grovel. Admit fault fully and show that you will be fully supportive of the school, to the extent that you'll also punish him yourselves.

I've never worked in a school where this happened and the child didn't immediately leave. But then I've mainly worked in London. Your son's teachers are unlikely to have the same reactions as the posters on this thread. In my vast (sigh) experience of exclusions meetings you do not always go in having fully made the decision. Your decision is sometimes shaped by the reactions of the parents.

They will all know. I hear from kids that one of my group has been in trouble often before formal word.

I hope my description bears some resemblance of what happens in your instance.

One stupid mistake does not render a child unworthy of education.

Oh, and I would also be encouraging him to have a meeting with the SDS link. It is extremely helpful for them to be aware that there has been a concern of his nature as having his options laid out before him can make it easier for him to just get the head down.

And I do mean that. He will need to be really genuine and he can't afford at all to show any sign of this being just a fuss about nothing.

The thing to watch as his parent though is that a child who has never been in trouble but then really is can feel like their cards have been marked and it isn't worth even trying. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is why a chat with SDS can keep him focussed

"it would be negligent of the school not to be concerned about the cannabis"

And it would be extremely remiss of you not to be concerned about the cannabis. You know it's illegal right? You don't seem bothered and if that's how you come across at the meeting your son could be out on his ear. Whatever you do don't talk about the nicotine issue. Or the "sorry bunny" schtick. Or the lawyer talk.

You are not getting this are you?

I think the fact it's called a "resolution meeting" might mean it's not curtains for him. And if the area don't permanently exclude normally then it's unlikely they would for this.

That said, you give the impression he has just had a tiny hiccup and not monumentally fucked up.

bojo, "an unintelligent thick bunny "

Jeez, I hope the OP's "sorry little bunny" of a drug user isn't at my child's school.

Ok.

Without actually working in your school I can only presume but it may go like:

An overview of what happened with agreement from all that the facts are correct.
Discussion of the severity of the action and why this had to result in a temporary exclusion from the school.
Agreement around the best way forward. Here I imagine that the school will be looking to you for support in the fact that this was an almighty stupid thing to do. They won't be impressed if you reference being more worried about nicotine. His behaviour was criminal and on school grounds - both he and you will need to accept that fully if the remainder of his schooling (be it the next few months or two years) is positive.
There may be a discussion about sanctions - loss of free time during the pupil day for a time, on a monitoring card, regular check ins with guidance/depute and possibly agreement to meet with a counsellor at least for one session.
With us there would then be a 'contract' agreed between you all which you would all sign.

Like I said, if this is the first time he has really got into trouble I would expect things to move on in a fairly straightforward way.

However, the school will absolutely need to be convinced that this was a one off and that you and your son are not minimising it. As another poster said, other parents will be unhappy and while that doesn't sway the treatment of one pupil it needs be to taken into account if there is any suspicion that his behaviour isn't being taken seriously at home.

Like I said, that is from my own experience. And really depends on whether your son generally keeps his head down.

Not with the attitude you have!

If you go in saying "I've consulted lawyers and you can't exclude him on this technicality" you are likely to find it tough

If you go in saying you take this as seriously as them, that you have signed your DS onto some counselling programme, taken advice from the police on how to nip this in the bud, that he is genuinely remorseful and will not be repeat offending, you might get somewhere.

Go in with all guns blazing and a "you can't do that"! attitude, all lawyered up, and, if I were the HT, I'd dig my heels in