Charlton School

Dear Parent / Carer,

I am sure you will have seen recently in the news about the Government providing guidance on the banning of mobile phones in schools.  The guidance suggests four main approaches to a mobile phone policy:

• No mobile phones on school premises.
• Mobile phones handed in on arrival.
• Mobile phones kept in a secure location, which the student does not access throughout the day.
• Never used, seen or heard.

At this time, we are intending to keep to our existing policy of mobile phones being “off and away till the end of the day”.  Students know that their mobile phones should not be seen or heard during the school day, including breaks and lunchtimes. If you need to contact your child during the school day, please do so through the school reception telephone number and messages will be passed on.

If a student is seen accessing their mobile phone it is confiscated and placed in the school safe.  The first time it is confiscated, the student can collect it at the end of the day from student services. Any further confiscations, a parent or carer are required to collect the phone.  The same rule applies to earphone devices, such as air pods.

If students continue to abide by our current policy, I do not foresee a reason to utilise one of the other suggestions from the Government, but these remain an option available to us should mobile phones become an issue in school.

Observant students will have noticed the return of a PCSO to the school site.  You may recall previously the school, alongside HLC, employed PCSO Tyrer for two days per week to support our work in school.  He left in the summer to pursue a career as a police officer and has now been replaced by PCSO Hudson.  Please make PCSO Hudson feel very welcome joining our community when you see him in around the school site.

We have received concerning communication from the Police Safer Neighbourhood Team that a batch of vapes containing THC has been distributed to the local community in Wellington and Telford.  We understand a number of young people in Telford has been hospitalised due to inhaling one of these vapes, or vapes containing other illegal substances.

May I urge you as parents/carers to talk to your children about the potential dangers of smoking (vapes and cigarettes) and the buying and selling of vapes.  I feel that it is relevant to ask you to check with your children if they are involved in vaping and be vigilant around the contents of their bag and bedroom for any evidence of smoking vapes and the importance of knowing where they have obtained these vapes from. 

It is important to remember it is illegal to buy vapes in the UK if you are aged under 18 and it is also illegal for people over 18 to buy vapes for children, this is called proxy purchasing.

Vapes containing THC are illegal and so their contents are unregulated. Therefore, it is impossible to know if what they are inhaling is safe, so the safest thing they can do is to not be involved in the taking of them.

What is THC oil made of?

THC oil is a concentrate or an extract from cannabis. This means the cannabis plant matter has been washed with a solvent of some kind [common solvents include isopropyl alcohol, butane, and carbon dioxide]. When soaked in a solvent, the trichomes, THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids get dissolved in the liquid.

What are the side effects?

After taking THC, the side effects can be like taking cannabis, it's possible to develop any of the following side effects:

• decreased appetite
• diarrhea
• feeling sick
• weakness
• behavioural or mood change
• dizziness
• feeling very tired
• feeling high
• hallucinations
• suicidal thoughts

What is THC oil?

Within the cannabis plant there are many cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. The most common ones known about are CBD and THC. THC is the cannabinoid that has psychoactive effects and causes users to feel “high”.  Smoking or vaping THC can cause hallucinations, hunger, giggling, confusion and sometimes sickness. 

THC oil can be extracted from the cannabis plant, just as CBD oil is. However, in the UK, THC is illegal, due to its mind-altering effects. For CBD oil to be legal it can only have a very low concentration of THC (below 0.2% in the UK).

Why are people becoming poorly from vaping THC oil?

The reason why THC oil and vaping have been in the news is due to people getting lipoid pneumonia or “mysterious lung disease” from vaping it.  Oil is not meant to be inhaled. It is not soluble in water and therefore will not move through your body well. Due to this, the oil gets caught in your lungs, causing issues such as lipoid pneumonia. 

Please read the link below for further guidance and advice on this matter:

‘Cannabis’ vapes - do you know what you’re vaping? | FRANK (talktofrank.com)

Here is a news article from November 2023 on the issue around vapes containing illegal drugs:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67349297

At Charlton we deliver a range of information to our students via our Personal Development sessions and our curriculum enhancement days on these issues and we feel they are well informed but we would value your support at this time to reinforce the dangers of vaping, especially with the concerns being raised by the police around the potential for vapes to contain THC.

Do not hesitate to contact the school with regards to any further concerns/information that you may have on this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Mr A McNaughton

Principal