Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve teaching in schools on the risks of drug and alcohol abuse.

Effective drug and alcohol education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe.

Drugs education is a statutory part of the new national curriculum for science. Under the national curriculum pupils are taught about the effects of recreational drugs, including substance and alcohol misuse, on behaviour, health and life processes. Teaching in this area can be further strengthened through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

To improve the teaching of drugs and alcohol abuse, schools can access expert advice from the mentor-ADEPIS organisation on delivering effective alcohol and drug education in the classroom. The information can be found here: http://mentor-adepis.org