Drugs policies: guidance and examples
Find support with writing or reviewing your school’s drugs policy, with guidance from the DfE on what to include and examples of policies from schools.
Last reviewed on 6 February 2024
- Read DfE advice on writing a drugs policy
- See primary school examples
- See secondary school examples
Read DfE advice on writing a drugs policy
The Department for Education (DfE) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have jointly published non-statutory drugs advice for schools.
Annex A contains a suggested framework for a drugs policy. It lists areas that a drugs policy may cover, including:
- The policy’s development process
- The context of the policy and its relationship to other policies
- Where and to whom the policy applies
- Definitions and terminology
- Management of drugs at school and on school trips
- Police involvement
- Information sharing
- The role of governors
See primary school examples
Community school in Stockton-on-Tees
Tilery Primary School has a drugs and alcohol policy (find this under 'Safeguarding') that includes:
- A definition of a 'drug'
- The roles and responsibilities of staff members
- Details of the school's approach to drugs education
Community school in Coventry
Manor Park Primary School has a drugs and substance misuse policy (find this under 'Safeguarding and Inclusion') which covers:
- Curriculum organisation and planning for drugs education
- The use of external agencies and services
- Managing drug-related incidents
See secondary school examples
Academy in Bracknell Forest
Ranelagh School has a drugs education policy that covers:
- The school’s approach to drugs education
- How the school manages and responds to drug-related incidents
Academy in Oxfordshire
The drugs policy from The Cherwell School includes:
- An explanation of what a drug-related incident may consist of
- Information about how the school supports pupils
- Information on the right to search