Why address smoking and alcohol?

  • It contributes to pupils’ physical and mental health. By avoiding substances such as nicotine (in cigarettes and vapes) and alcohol, pupils can prevent damage to their brains, which are still very vulnerable. Such damage can lead to changes in personality or behaviour.

  • Pupils who do not smoke, vape or drink often feel fitter and feel better about themselves. This also increases their mental resilience against temptations such as smoking and drinking alcohol.

  • Pupils with a healthier lifestyle perform better at school. Preventing smoking/vaping and alcohol use contributes to a healthy lifestyle.

  • It helps delay and prevent substance use for as long as possible. The earlier young people start using addictive substances, the more often they continue using them and the greater the risk of addiction.

  • Most young pupils have a negative attitude towards smoking/vaping and alcohol, but they often come across people using them. This may be at home, on the street, online or elsewhere. That is why it is helpful for pupils to maintain this negative attitude, so that they stay away from tobacco and alcohol for as long as possible.

Before primary schools get started

Before primary schools start addressing smoking and alcohol, the following points are important:

What is your school already doing?

Have you mapped out your starting situation properly? Consider your vision, starting point and opportunities. The Healthy School starting-situation checklist lets you tick off what you already have in place.

Do you have a Healthy School coordinator?

If you want to get started successfully, appoint a coordinator: an enthusiastic staff member who champions a healthy lifestyle.

Work with a thorough step-by-step plan

Using the step-by-step plan from the Healthy School approach will help you achieve lasting results. You can easily maintain your results.

How do you build support?

Support is a prerequisite for success. It means that your plan also becomes the plan of everyone involved.  

The Healthy School approach delivers lasting results. It is based on four pillars: Education, School Environment, Identification and Policy.