Age appropriate drug education forms a part of the mandatory Kindergarten to Year 10 PDHPE syllabus. Students in Year 11 and, or Year 12 extend this learning through the 25-hour mandatory Life Ready course.

Drug education in NSW government schools aims to promote resilience, and build on knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours to enable children and young people to make responsible, healthy and safe choices.

For effective drug education it is important to:

• create a supportive learning environment
• inform parents and carers
• use a strengths-based approach
• empower students through skill development
• use suitable teaching strategies to prevent public disclosures

A harm minimisation approach aims to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drugs by minimising or limiting the harms and hazards of drug use for both the community and the individual without necessarily eliminating use.

Schools are best placed to engage students in drug education activities to assist them to make healthy and safe choices, identify risky situations, and develop strategies to prepare them for challenging situations