Schools want help in 'lonely battle' against vapes

"I don't mind how many we have, as long as we're finding them, acting on it, and working with parents and police to reduce the numbers," says head teacher Lisa McCall.

An A4 plastic wallet sits on her desk at Wales High School in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, stuffed with confiscated vapes and refill bottles.

Beside it, a repurposed chocolate box holds dozens more.

McCall says vaping was never a problem at the school until a "really dangerous incident" one day last year when a student was offered a vape spiked with "some sort of illegal substance".

The 15-year-old student described the experience: "The floor felt bouncy, my vision went blurry and then I had a panic attack."

He was taken to hospital before later making a full recovery.

After the spiking incident at Wales High School, the pupils responsible were permanently excluded, a school spokesperson says.

Within weeks, the school had installed three vape detectors costing £1,000 each, began using metal-detector wands, and a rota of four staff to monitor corridors.

McCall says fewer children now vape in school but the measures are a "total distraction from why we are here - to educate and support children".

"That £3,000 could have gone towards IT equipment or even a member of staff for a period of time," she adds.

One student, who says he was peer-pressured into vaping at the age of 10, says he still vapes in school as the new measures make it harder but not impossible.

Others see vaping as a nuisance, with 15-year-old Megan calling it a "waste" and "damaging".

Some pupils who vape say their parents know - none of them approve, but they cannot do anything about it.

McCall says some parents do not support the school's efforts to tackle the issue because "many think it's better than smoking".

The NHS does recommend vaping to adults as a way to quit smoking, but stresses it is still harmful - particularly for children and young people.

Matthew Day, a science teacher and head of year at Wales High, says he believes some students are "certainly" addicted to vapes.

"You see some of the traits that are typical of addicts, they become quite fidgety and they are desperate to get out of the classroom because they need to go and satisfy that need," he says.

Day gives out Blu Tack to some students to fidget with to keep them focused in class.

He believes students need help with their addiction, but feels services have not grasped "the size of the problem".

McCall agrees a broader effort is needed.

"Why aren't things being done more with the shops that are selling the vapes for such a small amount of money?" she says.

"We've got some students who are buying 20 because they know they can buy them for £6 and sell them for £8.

"It's very hard as a school to battle on your own."

At The St Lawrence Academy in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, staff also say they face a battle to prevent vaping interfering with lessons.

James Stainton, who teaches classes about the risks of vaping, says students readily admit they are "addicted" to the habit.

Teachers at the school say they noticed the problem growing after the Covid pandemic, with students hiding e-cigarettes in the toilets and leaving lessons frequently to vape.

One 15-year-old pupil says she takes between 400 and 500 puffs on her vape a day, despite knowing it is bad for her health.

"I saw a lot of other people doing it and I just wanted to try it myself, and then I didn't know how to stop and I carried on," she adds.

The school redeploys staff to patrol at break times and has reshaped its grounds by cutting down bushes and moving shelters to eliminate hotspots where pupils were vaping.

Head teacher Dan Ellerby says these efforts have had "a significant impact".

But he adds: "It's really difficult to tackle it alone and you need that support from parents, you need that support from families, from the local community, to ensure that students understand the potential impact of vaping."