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Education

Figures highlight schools drugs issues

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School drugs: An issue for alarm.

School drugs: An issue for alarm.

THE UK’s teachers are worried about latest figures that show that hundreds of school children have been caught with drugs on school premises.

The figures compiled from 34 police forces across the UK, and obtained by the Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act, show that there were more than 2000 incidents dating back to 2011. Even class A drugs such as heroine and crack-cocaine have been amongst the illegal substances seized. The query asked for the details of the type and amount of drug involved, its value and also what the type of school was from where it was seized (primary or secondary), along with the children’s ages.

Over 3 quarters of forces replied, with 28 giving details of the types of drugs involved. 18 forces identified the type of school and 13 responded to the query of the ages of those involved. Amongst these pupils involved was one of only 8 years of age. Cannabis was involved in 625 of the cases and cocaine in 27. Other drugs cited in confiscations were LSD, amphetamines and ecstasy.

There were 241 incidents involving 15 to 16 year olds and 231 involved 11 to 14 year olds. The highest number of incidents and offences between the period 2011-2014 was Hampshire with a staggering 229 cases. South Wales police reported 92 cases.

Last year an incident at Pembroke Bush school led to a pupil being hospitalised after reacting badly to a so called ‘legal high’ taken on the school’s premises.

Dyfed Powys police produced a statement reading: “The Police Schools Programme continues to deliver to a high standard to all Dyfed Powys children, by empowering our children and young people. Drug and alcohol misuse is a recognised community issue that the police face daily. Misuse of substances by young people is especially disturbing but here in Wales we are fortunate to have an established national police Programme available to all schools which aims to educate and safeguard our communities. Police Officers regularly visit local schools as part of the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme, and this offers a spiral scheme of work from 5 to 16 years of age and proactively addresses the key areas of concern around substance misuse. Additionally these police officers also devote part of their time to supportive school policing in collaboration with the schools. This can include providing advice, dealing with incidents using restorative approaches, assisting in policy development, accessing parents and delivering governor and staff training.”

Bethan James, School Liaison Coordinator for Dyfed Powys Police, added to this, saying: “The lessons themselves are designed to be both interactive and engaging and the focus is always on empowering children and young people to make informed choices based on up to date, relevant information.We encourage the children to think and talk openly and to realise that they do have the right to a choice no matter what. Over the past two school years in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area, our School Community Police Officers have delivered a remarkable 2,077 lessons to almost 48,000 pupils. All of this work is supported by a national website www.schoolbeat.org. This site is interactive, informative and very user friendly and has separate areas specifically designed for children, parents/carers and teachers.”

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Education

Don’t miss out on help with school essentials

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88% of those eligible have claimed their free School Essentials grant to help with costs like school uniform, shoes, bags, sports kit and equipment. Have you claimed yours?

Children of families on lower incomes who receive certain benefits, those seeking asylum and children in care can claim £125 per year to help with school costs. Because of the extra cost families might face when their children start secondary school, £200 is available for eligible pupils going into year 7. It could also mean extra funding for your school.

There’s still time to check eligibility and apply for this year’s funding now before applications close on 31 May.

You can apply every year for each of your children. Pupils from all kinds of education settings are eligible as long as they are aged 5-16. This applies to pupils in all schools and settings, including special schools and pupil referral units.

Headteacher of Ysgol Gymunedol Trimsaran, Steffan Jones, explained how the grant helps pupils at his school: “You want every child to be treated the same, and you want every child to have the same experiences. These grants do help, so that all children can get involved and enjoy their time at school, not just those who can afford it.”

The grant can be used to pay for:

  • school uniform, including coats and shoes.
  • school activities, like learning a musical instrument, sports kit and equipment for after school activities.
  • classroom essentials, like pens, pencils and bags.

Even if your child already receives a Free School Meal, you still need to check eligibility to access the School Essentials Grant and extra funding for your school. To find out more about the Schools Essentials Grant and to check eligibility, visit Get help with school costs | GOV.WALES

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Charity

Bags of Books returns to Milford Haven and surrounding areas this Easter

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THE INFAMOUS Bags of Books is set to return to Milford Haven and surrounding areas over the Easter holidays.

Milford Haven School who launched the project with Milford Youth Matters over 3 years ago are continuing in their bid to improve literacy skills and encourage a love of reading for pleasure by giving away over 700 books.

Thanks to funding from the South Hook LNG Community grant they have purchased books for young people of all ages and reading abilities and will be hanging them on the fences of the schools in their catchment area.

The community are invited to come and choose a book from the following locations over the Easter holidays:

  • Neyland Community Primary School – Monday 25th March
  • Johnston Community Primary School – Tuesday 26th March
  • Coastlands Primary School – Wednesday 27th March
  • Gelliswick Primary School – Tuesday 2nd April
  • Milford Haven Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April
  • St Francis Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April

Milford Haven Secondary School will also hang over 150 books on their fence after the Easter Holidays on Wednesday 10th April for those in our community who cannot attend the other locations.

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Education

Milford Haven School’s Aspire Celebration Evening 2024 

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THIS week, Milford Haven School celebrated the achievements of Year 11 pupils from the Class of 2023 at the Milford Haven School’s Aspire Celebration Evening.

Chair of Governors Dayle Gibby opened the evening by welcoming past pupils, parents and carers and guests from the community as they joined together to proudly celebrate the outstanding achievements of their past pupils. Mr Gibby said “Tonight is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your achievements academically, and achievements that go far beyond the classroom like sporting, musical, through drama, enterprise, environmental and those that reach into the heart of community. Throughout your time here you have all showed, resilience, determination, and aspiration. With these attributes you have set yourself targets and goals to achieve, manage difficult problems and overcome unexpected events.”

The annual Aspire Celebration evening recognises the exceptional talents, dedication, and hard work demonstrated by these pupils throughout their academic journey. The evening was an enjoyable one that showcased the remarkable accomplishments of the young people, highlighting their academic excellence, leadership skills,and contributions to the school and wider community. Among the many accolades awarded were prizes for outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular participation, personal development and services to the community.

One of the highlights of the evening was the inspiring address from guest speaker and former pupil of the former Milford Haven Grammar School Ms Makala Jones. Pupils, staff and guests were captivated and inspired by her stories of cold water swimming and how joining the world renowned Blue Tits changed her life and played a big part in her accomplishments of recently swimming the English Channel completely solo. Her motivational speech, insights and personal anecdotes resonated deeply with the entire audience, encouraging them to pursue their passions fearlessly, love themselves completely and embrace opportunities that lie ahead. 

As pupils received their well-deserved awards, there was an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment filling the room. Headteacher Ms Morris said “This evening is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our young people. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and the positive impact they have made on our school community. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the prize winners. I have no doubt that you will continue to excel in whatever task you choose to do next. I am personally proud of each and every one of you and wish you continued success in your future endeavours.”

For more information and a full list of prize winners please visit: www.milfordhavenschool.co.uk/aspirecelebrationevening 

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