How much drug information is it safe to give your child?

Teaching Matters: A rather "unorthodox" method of providing books to schools provoked substantial media coverage last week. It involved businesses in different parts of the country being approached by a publishing company to sponsor a set of books for the local primary school. This was being done without the prior knowledge of or permission from the schools.

A second aspect of the story concerned the content of the books in relation to drugs. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) quickly denounced the material as totally unsuitable for primary-school children. A warning to local business to check with schools before getting involved in schemes of this kind was issued by the INTO.

But, leaving aside the questionable commercial aspect of this practice, the issue begs the question, "What do primary-school children need to know about drugs?"

Unfortunately, there is no simple, straightforward answer to a question like this. It does, of course, depend on the age and maturity of the children. It also depends on the prior knowledge and attitudes that the children may have of drugs and these can vary considerably from school to school and from individual to individual.

So, because an understanding of children's prior knowledge of drugs is essential in order to provide appropriate safety information, the starting point for teachers is to find this out. But education is far more than simply the provision of knowledge. Education must try to develop the skills that children need to live in a world that is constantly changing. These include core skills such as valuing themselves and others, communication skills, co-operative skills, decision-making and critical awareness skills. Teachers argue that these are best taught and developed through making sure that children are active in their own learning. This is the exact opposite of the provision of information only.

Education must also focus on attitudes which influence decision-making. Children may have preconceived ideas which will affect how they behave and approach new experiences. For example, in spite of powerful media campaigns many children think that it is "cool" to smoke and drink. They will therefore be unlikely to resist the opportunity to experiment. In some cases children may get mixed messages from adults about the acceptability of certain drugs. This needs to be examined and explored carefully. The provision of detailed information without a context that includes the development of positive attitudes and skills is of little use.

Effective education must also take account of the influence of family, friends and community, of social factors, culture and media as well as of schools. These are crucial to any effective prevention strategy. Youth clubs, sports and community organisations, health services and the Garda also have important contributions to make.

The misuse of drugs is an issue of great concern for parents. The age of first use of legal drugs appears to be falling and the range of illegal drugs available to children is expanding. Parents could be forgiven for thinking that what children need is more information to keep them safe. That might hold true for adults, but primary-school children are not small adults. What they need most is help and support to develop positive attitudes and behaviour.

An excellent set of educational resource materials, Walk Tall, has been developed to support the provision of educational programmes in primary schools for the prevention of substance misuse. These materials, following a substantial development phase that involved collaboration between parents and agencies working in the community, have been distributed to all schools and are backed up by professional development for teachers and information seminars for parents.

It is a developmental programme, with the materials providing advice, support and models for appropriate lessons for all class levels through primary school. The project has also been evaluated independently and the results show that it was received favourably by over 90 per cent of teachers.

The programme is not focused exclusively on illegal drugs. Prescription or over-the-counter drugs could be a more real threat to most primary-school children. Very small children, unable to read, may mistake tablets for sweets and so can be at risk from these and over-the-counter drugs. Children need to learn that medicines found while playing outside should never be taken but handed to an adult for disposal. Similarly, they should be taught about the dangers of syringes and what to do if they should find one.

There is no doubt that a small number of primary-school children know a great deal about drugs and drug-taking. Addiction may be a real issue in the lives of some children. The proper response should not be the provision of "home-made" books with lists of information but the provision of prevention programmes which provide opportunities for teachers, in partnership with parents, to explore what children already know, to clarify issues and to develop the skills necessary for prevention.

The Walk Tall programme fits the bill in this regard. There is no gap in the market for a commercial company to exploit here.

Valerie Monaghan is principal of Scoil Chiarán, Glasnevin, Dublin