Vaping in Schools: Making Schools Safer and Educating a Generation

Vaping is on the rise amongst school-age children, with teachers having to put specific measures in place to combat students vaping on school premises. For teaching staff, this is an issue that is not going away. So how can we encourage our students to stay away from vaping, whilst also protecting others and keeping school premises safe at the same time?

What are the statistics on vaping in the UK?

The NHS website clearly states that vaping is a way of encouraging adults to quit smoking or reduce their nicotine intake. It is less harmful than smoking a cigarette, although the long-term health implications are not yet known. Vapes can be disposable or refillable and are often marketed with bright, colourful advertising and sweet, sickly flavours.

The advice given by all health professionals is clear: vaping should not be taken up by anyone under the age of 18; however, more children than ever have tried it. ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) reported that in 2023, 20.5% of children (aged 11-17) had tried vaping; it has now taken over smoking (7.6% compared to 3.6%) in terms of children experiencing it for themselves. Children’s lungs and brains are not as developed as adults, so using vapes has a bigger effect on their health. Despite the clear warnings, there are still growing numbers of children vaping on school premises. So what can school staff do about it?

How can we prevent vaping in schools?

A growing number of schools are installing vape sensors to help crack down on vaping on their premises. These are installed in various places around the grounds where vaping is more likely to happen, for example toilets or cloakrooms. The sensor detects the presence of chemicals in the air, sending an alert by text or email to let designated members of staff know that vaping has been detected. It is then up to the school how they deal with it and the consequences they give to the students.

Vape sensors will help to act as a deterrent to prevent children from smoking on school grounds. Posters or signs can be put up beforehand to warn students that there is a vaping sensor in the area and information given about how it works in assembly. Parents can also be reassured that the school is taking the issue seriously and will deal with any incidents accordingly.

From Director, Cliff Henry…

“We at Paper Plus feel so genuinely concerned about the rise in vaping amongst school-age children. As a company which aims to provide anything and everything a school setting might need, we felt duty-bound to be able to offer our customers a reliable product to help combat this growing concern. We are very pleased to be stocking Volan Vape Sensors and firmly believe this product will play a huge part in combatting this problem.”

Educating Students About the Dangers of Vaping

Alongside using vape sensors, the first port of call for any school should be educating children about the dangers of vaping and what the law says: it is illegal to sell vaping products to anyone under the age of 18 in the United Kingdom. PSHE lessons should be used to teach students about what vaping is and how it works, as well as its intended use – to help adults with nicotine addiction.

Teachers can also raise awareness of the impact that advertising for vape products is having on their students. Using brightly coloured packaging and creating flavours that are sweet or similar to fizzy drinks attracts children to vape products, even though it is illegal to purchase them. Teachers can add their voice to the various campaigns around this subject and offer valuable insight.

There are lots of ways in which schools can be at the forefront of fighting this growing problem – installing vape sensors is a great first step, alongside educating students and campaigning to get their voice heard about the impact of vaping on young people.

Contact Us

If you’d like more information about Volan Vape Sensors, or you’d like to know more about how Paper Plus can provide your school with the supplies and stationery it requires, please get in touch. Call us on 01444 238 050 or pop us an email at sales@paperplusuk.com