Teachers have been urged to be more vigilant in an attempt to stub out pupils smoking on school grounds after a group were seen smoking at the entrance to a community campus fitness centre.
A local businessman, who did not wish to be named, visited Brechin Community Campus last week to be met by a group of pupils smoking near the entrance.
He said: “It wasn’t much of an advert for Brechin High School.
“I was there at about 3pm, the pupils were in full view of those visiting the campus, including young families coming to use the health facilities. I couldn’t believe it.
“It is a bit ironic they were smoking in the car park of what is also a fitness centre.”
Andrew Radley, consultant in Public Health for NHS Tayside, said its Early Years and Young People team and the public health department work with partners in education in Tayside’s three local authority areas to raise awareness among children and young people of the risks associated with smoking and second-hand smoke.
‘Well Good’ workshops are held at local schools, with several schools in the region working with the Early Years and Young People team to become smoke-free schools.
He said: “Across Tayside, we have also been working with local authority colleagues to decrease the opportunities for people to smoke.
“Initiatives such as smoke-free play parks and smoke-free areas are in development and have been widely welcomed.
“Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of ill health and by raising awareness about the risks of smoking, we aim to support young people to make confident, responsible, effective decisions about their health and wellbeing.”
Councillor Derek Wann, convener of Angus Council’s children and learning committee, called for a heightened awareness of the health risks for those tempted to light up.
The Conservative member for Arbroath East and Lunan said: “Whilst hearing reports of pupils smoking on the school grounds is unfortunate, I will be asking our teachers to be more vigilant and to ensure we are all discouraging smoking and warning them of the health issues caused by smoking.”
Angus Council confirmed staff carry out daily patrols of school grounds.
Young people are reminded it is illegal for those aged under 18 to purchase cigarettes.
Partnership work is carried out in schools to warn about the health consequences of smoking, discouraging smoking and providing access to smoking cessation programmes.
A council spokesman said: “Smoking is not permitted by young people or adults within the grounds of any of our schools.
“We encourage anyone to report any incidents they see to a member of staff at the time.”
