Headteacher estimates that a quarter of students vape

Laeranya explained that vaping is a widespread problem in schools. Based on information from her student head team, she estimates that “25 per cent of the students” vape.

The education of the rest of the students is also being impacted as students are “making excuses to leave lessons to go to the toilet to vape”. As a result, the school’s fire alarms have been triggered several times, disturbing exams and classes.

With cigarette smoking, Laeranya said she might expect students to try and secretly smoke in the woods at break time. But never during lessons. She argued that the “level of addiction” for pupils who vape is “higher than it would have been amongst smokers” because they are able to “top up the nicotine on a regular basis”.