Primary aged child caught vaping and encouraging others. What punishment would you expect?

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As the title says. Child in primary school caught vaping and encouraging others to try it. What would you expect the school to do?

Where did they get the vape from?! I'd probably expect a social services referral. Permanent exclusion is a definite possibility depending on circumstances and school policy

Vaping in school??

I would expect the school to raise a safeguarding concern with their local child protection MASH.

I would expect a school to recognise that this may be a child at risk of exploitation and involvement in County Lines.

I'm not sure punishment would be the right term really? Non punitive support and exploration of the safeguarding and risk issues would be the way to go.

Suspension. 1 day.

Although I'm imagining year 6

Year 2 entirely different

Really depends on age of child, whether they bought the vape into school themselves or someone else gave it to them. Then it depends on the school policy. Zero tolerance and you'll be looking a permanent exclusion. More lenient policy and supplied by someone else, then a suspension. You're also be looking at an integrated front door referral to social services particularly if child says they were given the vape by an adult. Cannabis vapes are a problem in secondary schools and its seeping down into the upper years of primary, if it was a cannabis vape then you're definitely looking at permanent exclusion as that crosses over into the drug policy as well

Serious conversations with parents and child.

I don't think punishment would help, I'd want to look at what is causing the behaviour, what's happening at home etc.

My answer will be very different depending if it’s a year 6 11 year old sneaking a vape in or a 6 year old smoking a vape from the backpack in the cloakrooms

I’d be more curious to know if the parents reaction rather than the school

Suspension and watched like a hawk at school for both theirs and others welfare and I imagine there could be other problematic behaviours. Parents spoken to and MASH referral depending on what happened.

In many secondary schools that would be an immediate suspension. So probably same for Primary but more conversations to be had about family life etc

Primary school, I'd be expecting the school to help the child. No punishment.

Wow I really don’t think it depends on the age of the child… this is primary school! Social services 100%. Some massive issues there firstly if the child doesn’t know vaping is terrible in the first place. Secondly that they can get hold of a vape at all. Thirdly that they can get their hands on it long enough to bring it into school. That’s before we’ve even got to the encouraging others part. Massive parenting fails a long time ago in that child’s life I’m afraid.

I don't know what I'd expect the school to do but does anyone remember when Billy was caught smoking by his mum in Neighbours? She made him smoke the whole pack in front of her and he vowed never to touch another in his life. A traditional punishment but worth considering.

This.

Hmm.

My experience is in the Scottish secondary sector.

When vaping first began, we had one S1 child vaping in the playground. The parents weren't that concerned.

By the time I did my last teaching stint (supply) I was constantly reporting vaping taking place in the toilets opposite my classroom. (Open plan loos - no exterior door.)

Apart from telling them off and moving them on, I'm not aware that the SLT did much about it. I can understand why: when I was a middle manager, the usual response from parents whose kids were caught smoking at school was either "Oh, his dad knows!" or "I'd rather know about it than have her doing it behind my back!"

I hope that the response in England is rather more robust.

This happened in DS’s class at end of year 5. Kids had internal suspension. Can’t remember how long but it was on the order of days. Child who bought it in had taken it from parent’s handbag without permission. School ran age appropriate lessons on vaping - I think yrs3-6. Information evening held for all parents on drugs and alcohol. Doubt SS were involved unless there were other existing concerns.