Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require schools to record instances involving the use of psychoactive substances in the same way schools are required to record the use of illegal substances.

Schools also have a statutory power to search for and confiscate prohibited items such as illegal and controlled drugs. Where they find other substances, which are not controlled drugs, but a teacher believes them to be harmful or detrimental to good order and discipline, these can also be confiscated.

The department has produced advice for schools which makes it clear that school staff can search pupils, or their possessions, without consent where there are reasonable grounds to do so. This advice is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279245/searching_screening_confiscation_advice_feb14.pdf. If a pupil refuses to be searched, the school may bar them from the premises.

Schools are not required to record and report instances involving drugs. However, when serious incidents involving the use of drugs occur, we would expect schools to record the incident and inform the parents of the pupil.