Vapes: New efforts to help Calderdale's schools tackle pupils vaping

The rise in the number of children trying vaping is concerning teachers, health professionals and councillors - according to latest data in Calderdale.

Health scrutineers have been discussing one of the responses given by the young people in Calderdale Council’s annual anonymous electronic “health needs” health and wellbeing assessment.

It samples responses on a range of subjects in their lives at primary school in Years 5 and 6 and secondary in Years 7 and 10.

In the 2023 survey, no primary pupils had tried an e-cigarette while 17 per cent of secondary pupils had – a slight rise from 15 per cent of students of the same age who responded in both 2022 and pre-pandemic in 2019.

Nine per cent said they currently smoke e-cigarettes at least once a week.

Officers told Calderdale Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Board a new support package including teaching and learning aspects of the risks of vaping was being developed with partners including the police and trading standards.

It will soon be available and the aim is to help schools identify what their needs are, what resources are available to help and receive a package which is tailor-made for their school.

It is hoped that with the vaping package trialling the idea, it can be adapted to cover other issues of health risk concern – for example alcohol.

Youth council representatives said responses needed to be able to tackle different substances or substances in different form which might be misused by some pupils, for example nitrous oxide.