1. Fiona Leslie – PE teacher Bucksburn Academy
Rachel Thompson – Assistant Health Improvement Officer schools

2. Background
With the launch of the tobacco control strategy and the actions that would have implications on Education establishments prevention, protection and cessation. legislation from HP and nutrition act Act with its inextricable links to CfE - all schools to be health promoting environments
Aberdeen city H&WB plan 2013/14 included a voluntary action requesting schools pilot the use of the Grampian guidance which was created to support establishments to develop their own policies around tobacco prevention and control.
Bucksburn were one of 3 secondary schools to volunteer to develop their own policy, and were the only school out of the 3 areas to complete the policy development and continue to focus on policy developments.

3. Establishing the Aims and moving forward
What was the existing position/Tobacco policy
Sharing the vision – policy development
Launching the Policy
Reviewing and evaluating
There was no clarity around what schools were currently doing around tobacco education/ support for staff or pupils
What would ‘the vision’ be – What was understood about the aspirational SG 2034 target? who would engage and be involved?
National and local partners supporting in the Launch of the policy in 2015.
Identifying where future focus needs to be to build on initial policy implementation and report on progress as Tobacco charter signatories

4. What was the existing position around tobacco on the school?
No school policy had ever existed
No specific focus on tobacco in PSE curriculum
School and campus staff adhered to ACC policy
No identified pathway to provide advice or support to pupils or staff
Blank canvas
No written policy had ever existed around tobacco – Staff followed Aberdeen City Councils generic policy.
Staff followed the Aberdeen city Council policy – was not up to date and did not yet reflect the actions of the SG strategy
No specific focus on tobacco – PSE mainly concentrated on Alcohol and drugs – no cross curricular delivery
No pathway to support young people who did smoke - pupils did not approach staff for help/advice around smoking cessation

5. Sharing a Vision The Champion Partnerships Leadership
Promotion & awareness raising
Benchmarking
Pathway for support
The vision: To create a joined up approach towards implementing the non-smoking policy.
To ensure all campus users are aware of and buy into the policy and understand their responsibilities around the vision.
To ensure young people are not exposed to smoke and smoking behaviour setting the parameters on the campus
To enable young people to consider smoking as an anti-social behaviour – bench marking to promote the powerful message that smoking is not the ‘social norm’
To provide young people and adults with the knowledge and confidence to ensure they do not start smoking, and to support young people and adults who do smoke to cease smoking – to implicitly include Tobacco awareness as part of the S1 PSE H&WB timetable. To promote support services to staff and pupils who want to stop smoking
Champion identified in school kept the focus and a central point of contact who was able to negotiate with SMT
Partnerships being built Partnerships were developed by introducing Bucksburns Vision to the Bucksburn Learning Partnership – By making the links to the LP the vision could be shared beyond the Academy and into the campus grounds – links to library and sports facilities. A sub group of the LP was formed to identify and share actions needed to develop the policy – Consultation with young people supported by Community learning youth workers, CCBO engaged with Parents and Fiona (School Champion, and constant link) worked with SMT and School staff. Provided funding to build on resources – signage developed for campus and printing for cards, supported consultations with pupils and parents (CCBO and YW’s)
Benchmarking - questionnaires completed by pupils to benchmark smoking prevalence – very low numbers (lower than city figures) – allowed schools campus to promote the fact that smoking was not actually the ‘social norm’ and was an anti social behaviour
Pathway – connected to local Pharmacies – card system available to provide pupils with a streamlined entry to pharmacy service (avoid duplicating basic questioning)
The tobacco Charter Commitment- Dec 2015
Leadership – Included on SIP for the year 2014/15– Negotiating with HT/SMT to ensure staff meetings/briefings/ in-service /assembly time was accessible (start of term awareness session, training etc)
Promotion and awareness – Using ‘On the Button’ Communication tool for staff to inform of policy new staff and old. Assembly delivered for all pupils, Celebration of ‘No Smoking day’ with an array of activities, displays, quizzes, plasma screen messages, tech fest, awareness raising of World ‘No Tobacco day’
Curriculum developments – PSE S1 now has dedicated time to deliver tobacco education
Cross curricular - Time spent seeking out keen beans who feel they have the capacity to explore curricular links (started small) – Science were very interested in ‘Tech fest’ which was part of ‘No smoking day’.
Curriculum
The tobacco charter commitment

6. The Wall
Connections being made with new staff representatives for the LP
Review of
Policy delayed – Staff changes
Multi agency training being completed in ‘Raising the issue’
Ensuring the vision is everyone's responsibility
Pupil group to identify learning needs to help influence curriculum development
Developing tobacco education beyond the H&WB curriculum
Connections made to ‘Building Learning Power’ to demonstrate possibilities
Review Policy review process delayed due to key staffing changes with in the learning partnership, however new connections are being made in both the LP and the school
Ensuring the Vision is maintained and not seen as a paperwork exercise (Fiona retiring) – Drip effect, go ahead for RIA training; develop pupil tobacco group to ensure more champions are created
Curriculum Development – Slow burner due to staff working beyond capacity. Baby steps approach needed, difficult to implement due to Attainment agenda taking precedence. However connections are being made: Exploring capacity for geographical /environmental links, Maths dept are looking at converting questionnaire results/comparisons into charts. Also made connections to new way of teaching BLP – early days but tobacco Raising the issue programme was linked to the 4 R’s – Resilience, Resourcefulness, Reciprocity, Reflectiveness. Developing a young persons tobacco group who will provide input around what they feel needs to be delivered in PSE around tobacco messages.
Smoking prevalence - Questionnaire not particularly well received by already pressurised staff, minimal returns in compassion to first year – look at alternative ways to monitor prevalence/impact: links to fitness testing – examine drop off in S4 (possible questionnaire)
Smoking prevalence, has the policy made a difference? Apathy towards completing questionnaires
Identify alternative methods to capture current smoking trends

7. Have the young people of Bucksburn noticed any difference?
Pupils recognise that the campus is now smoke free and now see that there is no smoking behaviour displayed within grounds. Younger pupils are now somewhat protected from being around smokers on the campus….. On the other hand, the hard core smokers have now shifted into the community setting….. A further challenge for development
It was also recognised that outside influences are very real factors when it comes to young people who are smoking – S’s mum felt she couldn’t judge her son because she was a smoker at his age, however did not challenge or offer him her support or experience to open up discussion about the benefits of not smoking…. Highlights another challenge – Support for parents
Pupils are able to reflect on the messages given in primary school which support their initial decision not to smoke – the protective environment community campus grounds supports pupils by ensuring they are not exposing them to smoking behaviours
M’s story– Challenging youth with specific needs, regular smoker. Raising the tobacco profile and having focussed work has now engaged her in activity to promote healthier living which made her realise she would struggle as a smoke to do the type of activity she was enjoying and as a result she has quit smoking
Pupils confidence in approaching staff for support is not quite there yet… Bucksburn recognise that it is early days that they are only 1 year into implementation of the policy…. they are dedicated to changing the current culture but it takes time

8. In a funny kind of way………
Creating Policy is a bit like giving up smoking!
Recognise the need to make the change….
Know who can support you….
Its all about attitude….
Resist the urge to throw in the towel when the going gets tough…..
Remember where you have come from, Celebrate the little things and share your success….
Be persistent, change doesn’t happen overnight and doesn’t always run smoothly, it will be worth it in the end…..

9. Thank You!
Community campus