Teachers: changes causing chaos

Headteachers claim that the changes are causing more chaos than clarity - even among their own ranks.

Marcus Cliff-Hidges, assistant headteacher at Hammersmith's Latymer Upper School, said: "I think the changes have confused people. I've heard adults say they believe it is legal to smoke cannabis in Brixton. There's a mixed message."

"To be perfectly frank I couldn't tell you what the full implications of the changes are going to be," said Kate Griffin, headteacher of Greenford High School.

"The only thing I can envisage is that it will become even more confusing for the youngsters. There's something that is illegal, which if you keep doing long enough then the penalty goes down. Well, what sort of signal is that?"

At Mellow Lane School in Hillingdon, headteacher Rod Stafford said: "We've had very sophisticated drug prevention programmes in place for a number of years but they are being subverted by the changes to the law. We are having these debates now and pupils are turning to the teachers and saying: 'That's all very well but the law is changing, so it's OK'.

"After more than 40 years working at the front line I can't support this change. The downgrading in the eyes of young people says, whatever the law might state, that it's okay. Whatever the so-called experts say I have firsthand knowledge of many cases where it's been the first slide down a slippery slope."