Drugs at Private Schools

[abignael]

I have a DD in Sixth Form at a Surrey private school (day school) and I was recently looking at schools for my DS for the 11+ next year. I asked for her opinion on schools in the local area and was shocked that most her responses included references to the pupils there being “druggies.” I was particularly appalled when she told me that pupils at a school where I know a housemistress frequently smuggle in Ketamine and take it in their dorms. Apparently this is not uncommon at private schools - particularly boarding ones according to her. I won’t name the schools as I feel dragging their names through the mud at the behest of a teenage girl is inappropriate but could anyone enlighten me on this?

The comments on here crack me up. Yes everyone else's children take drugs but not my little poppet. 🤣

The bottom line is if you send your child away to wherever then you are not able to spot what they are doing. You can pay someone else but they are not their children so will never have the same dedication to it. Drugs in boarding schools came along in the 70s and it's not going away.

It’s quite hard to get them at boarding school though…

I don't recognise these posts. Dd is at a boarding school as a day girl and there are no drugs on the premises, she would laugh if I asked her. I'm sure the sixth formers probably see drugs at parties in the holidays. Dc2 was at state school and loads of pupils took drugs at the weekend but not at school. Dh went to a public school and he says no drugs apart from a bit of weed. Maybe we are just all really square!

The bottom line is if you send your child away to wherever then you are not able to spot what they are doing. You can pay someone else but they are not their children so will never have the same dedication to it. Drugs in boarding schools came along in the 70s and it's not going away

This is not true. The school staff are completely dedicated to safe guarding and drugs are not tolerated. Anyone caught with drugs would be asked to leave. A reputation for drugs is something the school absolutely doesn't want. That's not to say all the teens at dds school have never taken drugs,. I'm sure some have but it wouldn't be at school. They do have holidays and go home twice a term so who knows what they do then. Even alcohol is strictly controlled at.school and evrn thought thry are allowed wine and ciser at events (6th form) the girls are breathalysed which annoys them. The idea that they are all taking ket in their dorms is absurd.

100% spot on.

I don't know about boarding schools but there are definitely more drugs at the private schools than state around here (London) - more money and often more liberal parents. Also seem to be the case at the wealthier state schools, the fancy ones with expensive catchment areas. Source: all DS's primary school friends in sixth form now and evenly spread across state and indies.

Drugs aren't expensive these days. Often cheaper than alcohol. Depends what you are taking. Judging by the NoS canisters outside the state school near me that seems fairly prevalent.

We all took a lot of drugs in the 90s. (Acid, weed, Es) I went to a state grammar and my exH went to a state comp.
My friends at private schools had more drugs because they had more money. One of my best friends who went to a private school was probably the 'naughtiest' of all of my friends. She used to climb out of her house to come clubbing in London with us when she was 15. She lost her driving licence the week after she got it, due to drink driving. She went to Thailand at 18 for a couple of years and had a child.
She's now a Doctor.
My children went to state grammar schools and only took those canister things. I think kids are more anti drugs and alcohol now.

My brother was at a public school - horrible amounts of drug use among him and his friends, some permanently messed up (psychosis). I was at a Comp - only knew of a few who took drugs, but plenty of other antisocial behaviour.

I was at two different state schools in the 90s. Drugs were niche rather than mainstream and I say that as someone who enjoyed and embraced drug taking. Drinking was far more common and have many friends who had never (and still haven’t) touched drugs. When I got to university and made lots of friends from well known private schools I was blown away by the scale of their drug use - the ability to spend £100s on cocaine every weekend was just not something I’d seen amongst the teens I knew! I had a crappy part time job just to find the basics at uni. They are all respectable lawyers, doctors etc now though.

The biggest coke fiends I've ever known are definitely my old state school mates. Dhs public school friends smoked weed but that's it really. His friend got kicked out for it despite having very rich parents who donated a lot to the school. I'm sure they'd have loved to be snorting coke every weekend but they certainly wouldn't have been able to afford it or known how to get hold of it as they were stuck in school in the middle of nowhere without huge personal allowance!

Common in both private and state schools - especially where affluent kids have access to easy money. Most socially engaged teenagers will find themselves encountering drugs so it's about how they handle themselves and those choices when they encounter them not if.

I'm not sure why we keep assuming only "affluent" kids have access to drugs? Surely "affluent" kids are the ones least likely to touch drugs as they are often high achieving academically. Drugs are not expensive. An E is cheaper than a bottle of wine.

Big houses with kids rooms up in attics, more liberal parents less worried about where their kids are.

That was my experience as a London teenager (my family was like this). My kids who are at state school have fewer friends in that category. Not saying there aren't other issues at all.

Ds attended a state school and moved to private on year 9
He said he was offered practically every drug under the son at the private school.
I thought it was well known that drugs are readily available in private schools

Where does she suggest? (Yes I am aware she is a late teenager but the response could be interesting)

Drug problem in all schools private and state keep communicating with your children so they feel ok to say no.

My DH has shocked when we walked early morning near the local state secondary and saw some kids smoking weed and later learned that some kids are that school deal to the nearby private
both schools are top academic schools and have quite good reputation
there’s a very posh boarding school near us - also well known fact that drugs are rife there - lots of money, not that much supervision, parents with empty flats in the city, which are used as party central in the weekends

So drugs are rife at parties out of school?

Also I'm interested to know how he found out who they were and who they deal to!

Do state school kids never go out on their own?

Not surprised, where there is money there are drug dealers. The difference is that rich kids can afford to buy them without breaking the law to get the money. Its an everywhere problem, and I'm fed up with the police turning a blind eye.

The drug dealers certainly don't hang out in affluent areas near here ,they are on a couple of the rougher estates. Of course maybe everyone is just WhatsApping them!

@Changeau this isn't a randomised control trial, I'm just sharing my experience

Anywhere you have teenagers/young adults you will have booze + drugs. I went to grammar school + 6th form college where both were rampant. Drugs are often way cheaper than booze so I would presume are used more than alcohol by a lot of teens. Doesn't matter whether private or state school tbh. As a parent I would never assume that my DD isn't partaking in both so you have to remain vigilant and realistic about what they will encounter.

I've heard similar but, in all honesty, my DC has not been approached about drugs or know anyone who has taken it. DC does know of people who have been to a fair few drunken parties, though.

Another mum with a DC in the same year as my DC said her kid had heard of drug use even in Y7, but mainly amongst the rugby/sport jocks so no idea if there is some association there. Quite interesting how different children can be exposed and see it so differently!

Saying that, in all my years (and I'm in my late 40s) I have NEVER been offered drugs, whether at parties, in a park or in clubs/bars. Go figure!