Alcohol in Schools ?

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by Arfie

It's also etiquette not to use peer pressure on kids.

Personally as a teetotaller, I'd be down there playing merry hell with the teacher, and the head.

I think it's legal for kids to drink wine with a meal in restaurants I think from about age 14 and they can drink in your home, but in a school? surely not? In fact I would have thought in this day and age there is zero tolerance for the presence of alcohol and drugs on the premises whether in the possession of a student or teacher, so the alcohol shouldn't even be in the school in the first place.

Mind you more than half the teachers I know (including my ex and her friends) are smoking dope regularly, so I'm not surprised by this at all.

Arfie

you would smoke dope too faced with half the shit teachers get from tosspots who know feck all about education these people are usually known as HM government


as for the alcohol being supplied, bang out of order and as a governor of a school I would be expecting to be sitting on a disciplinary panel for the head , head of dept and individual teachers in the very near future if a parent came to me and told me this.

[chas49]

It's an offence to purchase alcohol for someone under the ae of 18. It seems pretty clear that the school (or individual teacher) have got it badly wrong on this occasion. It maywell have been an honest but silly mistake (apart from the pressure to drink), but it's not right.

However, f you want something done about this, you need to go about things in the right way. Ask the school for a copy of the complaints procedure, and follow that.

It's most likely that it will be a two or three stage procedure which could ultimately lead to a governors' panel hearing the complaint. If you want to be taken seriously, follow the stages of the policy carefully.

[Mary]

I don't necessarily disagree with alcohol being offered in certain circumstances but the lack of alternative is worrying as is the teachers attitude.

However I went to a boarding school where all upper 6th boarders had access to the "club room" which was legally a private drinking club I think. It was open limited hours and served beers, wine and limited strength spirits (eg martini and archers but not gin vodka etc). After evening prep it was also permissible to sign out to one of the local watering establishments beween 9.30 and 10.30 when doors were locked. Realistically that was to one of two locals in the town. Under 18s were not allowed to drink outside the club room but this was never specifically enforced. At certain school evening events (and drinks at the headmasters after chapel on Sunday before lunch) alcohol was served in a supervised environment, however I think generally the biggest limiting factor was the wine they served was absolutely minging! I should add soft drinks were always available and as far as I'm aware nobody was ever coerced into drinking.

[Mary]

Originally Posted by chas49

It's an offence to purchase alcohol for someone under the ae of 18.

Yet unless things have changed very recently it is legal to have an alcoholic drink with in a meal in liscenced premises at age ?16 might even be 14. How does the landlord legally buy in the booze?

(I should add that my school held an alcohol liscence).

[Crieagle]

Before you go shopping anybody, i would check with the school for the exact facts. I am not disputing what your daughter said but, the school may have a different take on it.

It would be a shame if a simple glass of plonk and trying to treat young people as mature and responsible was misconstrued as forcing them to drink. She does not like alcohol fine, perhaps the school was in error for not offering an alternative.

I as a parent would not begrudge my son a glass of plonk as a well done. We all like a little celebration. Would be a shame if my son cannot enjoy this because of any knee jerk reactions.

Still I suppose in stopping it all, we will be preparing them for a future of nanny statedom and one way political correctness

[Crieagle]

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[Steve S]

Hi Colin,

if it was exactly as your Daughter described with no alternative to alcohol that is wrong, other than that I have no problem with under 18's having a glass of wine with a meal, my Son did exactly the same on his recent leavers dance, with a teacher sat at the table with them.

Before you speak to the LEA ask to speak to the Head and the Chair of Governors about it.

Safe diving,
Steve

[colinicky]

I have actually just had phone calls from 2 other parents asking about this as they have been told the same by their 16 year olds . It actually looks like it will blow up in a big way as one of the other parents is a school govenor !
The school is normally very good in that if there is a dinner dance or disco a form comes home asking if we wish our child to drink & if so what limits & having been to a couple of the dances it was very well controlled but like myself the other 2 parents are annoyed at the teachers attitude & the fact that there was no alternative & that parents were not consulted.

[Andy the Coastie]

was they offered a fag or gigar from the head teacher aswell ? if not why not ?

[liamm]

As a teacher it makes me cringe when other teachers / heads get it so wrong. The head should lose his job over this.
Whilst i think that kids should be taught to use alcohol socially - this seems to be neither the time or the place, maybe if the Parents were invited as wll and it was in the evening.
Whats more the teachers involved will recieve no support from the unions as its against guidelines - if someone pushes it to court it will be very messy.

It beggars belief the d1cksheads that parents have to accept being "in locus parentis"