The pack contains:
- Introductory lessons from pupils in Early Years – Primary 3 as a means of introducing the topic of tobacco and preparing the pupils for the structured lessons.
- Lesson Plans and all required Resources for both the Primary and Secondary years – running from Primary 4 right through to Secondary 5/6.
- A 6 week workshop programme designed for Secondary pupils, or pupils who are disengaged from formal education, focusing on support sessions to help pupils who smoke to quit. These can be delivered by school staff to small groups of pupils as a means of offering a proactive and solution based focus to dealing with nicotine addiction.
The pack has been deigned to be completely compatible with Curriculum for Excellence. It is targeted at all schools in Lanarkshire to be delivered across all stages from Primary 4 through to Secondary 5/6 and also includes some introductory lesson ideas aimed at early level
The pack would be appropriate for other youth settings, such as alternative education establishments and would offer an equally useful framework for dealing with smoking related issues within different centres from schools.
All lessons clearly define how their content successfully achieves the experiences and outcomes for Health and Wellbeing, and details the outcomes which are achieved from other curricular areas. We would actively encourage teachers to use the supplied resources as a starting point to develop interdisciplinary working and have highlighted ideas for links throughout the pack.
Pupils will have opportunities through specifically defined tasks to produce a piece of work that could be included within their Literacy and Numeracy portfolios (please refer to the Secondary lessons plans for period 2 and 5 for examples of this.)
As we explore tobacco as a social and personal issue, we are placing a strong emphasis on developing pupil’s skills for learning and skills for life. Through lessons focused on personal fitness and the impact of smoking, how to make good decisions and the challenges of quitting smoking, young people are given support and a systematic approach to making choices which will impact on their health and lifestyle. They will learn about their own views by empathising with the position of a smoker. We have also enhanced the pack by exploring skills for work by looking at how smoking impacts on the world of work in terms of positions created within the NHS and the costs associated to smoking for the health service and council organisations.
The pack employs two characters who age and develop at the same rate of the pupils being taught. This begins at Primary 4 and runs throughout until Secondary 5/6. The areas of transition are easily handled as both Primary and Secondary staff are able to identify what has previously been taught, how it ties in with the current work of the class and where it will lead in the years to follow. Therefore, the pupils are able to make coherent links with the work previously completed and understand the journey that they are moving on with the characters. It is a journey of progression that teachers, pupils and parents are able to understand and be actively involved in.
As Curriculum for Excellence defines, the school curriculum should be designed on the basis of the following principals and as has been demonstrated in the section above, these lessons set out to meet all of these aspects:
Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Progression
Depth
Personalisation and choice
Coherence
Relevance
Guidance on Sensitive Issues
The pack deals with a number of sensitive issues relating to tobacco use. Within the storyline, the character of Hannah’s grandfather dies due to health complications caused by smoking. In S4, pupils are encouraged to explore the issues around cannabis use and present different sides of the argument through a debate activity. These are just two examples of potentially contentious issues. As well as this, it is important to remember that a number of the pupils in the class will have family members who are smokers and this may also cause some individuals concern. The lessons should be delivered by a member of staff who knows the pupils well and is able to positively deal with these issues should they arise. Regardless of a pupil’s personal situation, the danger of tobacco use is a fact and teachers should ensure that this message is not cushioned but presented openly and honestly to the pupils in the class. Support pupils to speak about their experiences of smoking and how this has impacted on their views.
NHS Lanarkshire offer teachers additional training and support to ensure that they are able to effectively deliver the content of the lessons and any school wishing this should contact the Smoking Prevention and Education Programme Manager on SIYEmanager@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Consultation and Evaluation of Resources/Support Available
As part of the quality assurance of this resource, pupils, parents, teachers and health staff were consulted to ensure that the lessons were effective. The result of this was very positive, however, lessons of this type can very quickly appear dated or factual information becomes obsolete. If you have any feedback, ideas or require any further support to help you deliver these lessons, please contact the Smoking Prevention and Education Programme Manager on SIYEmanager@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk.