Schools in Kingston have praised government plans to ban the sale of disposable vapes.
New proposals announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are designed to tackle the rise in vaping among young people.
Penny Casserley, Pastoral and Safeguarding Manager at Hampton High, said that she totally agrees with the ban on disposable vapes and has had to sanction and educate students who have been found using them.
Casserley said: “I feel very strongly that vapes are doing extensive harm to our young people and are now being seen as cool instead of what they were originally designed for.”
Recent figures have shown that the number of young people and children using vapes has tripled in the last three years.
New powers will be introduced to restrict flavours which appeal to children and require manufacturers to produce less visually attractive packaging.
The government will be bringing in new fines for shops that sell vapes to children with trading standards officers able to fine up to £2,500 on the spot.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic.”
Charlie Asdell, Assistant Headteacher at Teddington School, said that they also have students who vape and have held staff training on vaping and the health risks to young people.
Asdell said that the school has done much to educate their students about the dangers of vaping and the addictive element through PSHE assemblies and tutor time programmes.
Teddington School aim to include it in science and other topical lessons where relevant.
Health Minister, Andrea Leadsom, said: “Nicotine is highly addictive – and so it is completely unacceptable that children are getting their hands on these products, many of which are undeniably designed to appeal to young people.”
In the UK, five million disposable vapes are thrown away each week, up from 1.3 million last year.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said that she was confident the new bill regarding vapes would pass parliament by the time of the general election.
Once timing is confirmed, retailers selling electronic vapes will be given six months notice to implement the new law expected to come into force in early 2025.
