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?

@Changeau - connect the dots a little. Many boarding schools will have these issues but they won't ever speak of them directly because they need people to pay.

Also, it would a profoundly stupid child who told their parents the truth given they had to be at that school with those people, the majority of the time. Raptor parents who occasionally make a fuss will not be much help if they are not there.

If you are a boarder you learn that you must also get on with everyone. That includes not telling parents.

More money, more drugs! A big issue.

🤣 I know you are determined to make your point that your world vision is true, and if my dds lived experience doesn't tally with your prejudice then she must be lying, but honestly give it a rest.

You are naïve if you think that this doesn't happen everywhere.

I think my phrasing was a bit off - the pupils smuggle the drugs the housemistress apparently knows but doesn’t do anything.

@Changeau its quite possible your daughter is unaware of the drugs scene/there is no drugs scene at your daughter’s school - but lots of us can tell you that there are private schools where drugs consumption is rife. Neither ‘worldview’ is wrong but if you think that you or any parent can pay for their child to be lifted up and above drugs then that is naive. You’re fortunate if it is not a problem for your daughter.

We have two children in private school and have stopped them boarding now as they told us about coming across others doing drugs (and vaping and drinking) in the dorms. These are under 16 kids.

We reported it to the school and they said some nonsense about "robust policies" which seemed to come down to "we'll suspend them for a day or two, but that's it as we want the money".

Crocodilekneecaps · Today 12:18
Lots of drugs in private schools, I live near a very well known day school, lots of the local dealer/gangsters send their kids there and pay their fees in cash. It’s common knowledge.

If it’s common knowledge then presumably there are regular police raids?

Do you know how organised crime works ?

There's a difference between "lying" and "not being aware of what's going on around you".

My two DC went to the same secondary school. DS would tell me about the drugs. DD would swear blind that there absolutely wasn't any.

@Crocodilekneecaps
All those deprived Dc are at state schools. There are Dc who want drugs everywhere but the majority don’t.

Honestly I grew up in the NE on a council estate, went to a rough state comp, and I never saw or heard of drugs happening amongst friends. It was all drinking cheaper cider and wine in fields/cemetaries/friends house who's parents were never around in school. Very end of school I remember some cannabis use but certainly not a lot, most focus was on alcohol and fags. MN has really opened my eyes around drug use and it seems more a MC thing to take drugs?

I'm surprised that you've chosen to keep them at the school.

Common knowledge

Yeah, right.

Cracking up at all the parents saying 'one dc at state says drugs there, one dc at private says not seen anything' (change schools round if you want) posts because all that means is that one child is either walking round with their head in the clouds and not noticing anything or they don't feel comfortable telling their parent what they have seen/do know.
Yes every school has problems with illegal substances, however it really really is down to funds.
If your kids mates are all 'normal' working class then they won't be able to afford the drugs that a wealthy child can. I used to occasionally look after/oversee some holidays for a young girl with wealthy parents and she and her mates would talk about whether they were going to bring coke for a 14/15 yo birthday party they were going to. When informing the parent's I got a 'Not again! the dealers hang around the school as they know the girls have cash to spare' any one who thinks their ddarlings are spending a large allowance on sweets or gadgets needs to give their head a wobble.
Getting canisters of nos/one Ecstasy tablet or bottles of booze cost nowhere near as much as ketamine or coke. It really is all about accessibility.
The only thing you can do is educate your child to make good decisions, and talk to you, if they think you'd punish them excessively for trying something, they will never tell you that their mates are asking them if they want to join in.

Are county lines privately educated Dc? I think not

You think wrong, then @TizerorFizz. There was a report a few years ago about County Lines gangs specifically targeting private school pupils.

Of course, they target state school pupils too. Any child can be at risk, but you would be foolish to be so complacent as to think that privately educated children won't be at risk from this.

Know anything about money laundering ? You are clueless

@Changeau

But it happens at every private school, except your daughters of course, no, no it doesn’t happen at all there 🤦‍♀️ It also happens at every state. I am a teacher and have friends who have taught in independent schools and yep all encountered drugs. Obviously.

I went to boarding school 30 years ago. We didn’t have drugs in our school until we did. They suspended the girls for 2 weeks. My father pulled us out and sent us to a school with a much stricter policy. There were no drugs, no sleeping around and minimal alcohol at the school I moved to.

Good schools have an easier time being strict about their behavior policies because they have a long waitlist for each year. You won’t find drugs tolerated at competitive schools such as Wycombe Abbey or CLC. Yes it happens but the girl will be expelled immediately.

Quite.

Of course! My friends who went to private schools were the most prolific drug users as teens. What else are they to spend Mummy and Daddy's money on? Meanwhile I worked 2 weekend jobs part-time at £4.50 an hour which I was most definitely not going to be sniffing up my nose!

County lines and private schools? Don’t believe it - maybe an odd occurrence. This thread is very silly. There’s a possibility of drugs in all schools. Some will rarely have an issue. Others know they do have problems. The best advice is to teach your Dc to keep away from drugs and pray they aren’t the type to be interested. It’s quite difficult to predict who becomes an addict. A teacher of DD had a DS die from drugs. You would never have thought that possible. It’s addiction and it can be anyone who discovers they like drugs.

Apart from that, (and a bit of bullying) its an excellent school which my kids on the whole love and are thriving at. We've got a bursary and there's no way we could have afforded private school on our own elsewhere.

It's cheaper them not boarding, so its almost a bonus... almost. I have let them know that I don't think their policy is robust enough as I think some of the children should have been the subject of a police investigation, but who knows what's actually going on.

Article from 2018 but it says private school kids are used by county lines gangs as they are less likely to be identified
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/private-school-pupils-county-lines-drug-gangs-ofsted-children-grooming-a8633216.html?amp

https://www.tatler.com/article/class-a-drug-use-rise-in-schools

County lines and private schools? Don’t believe it - maybe an odd occurrence.

You're free to bury your head in the sand if you like. The authorities trying to tackle the problem don't agree with you though.