The school asking pupils to reject vape culture

Pupils are being encouraged to resist peer pressure around vaping in a course offered at a school.

The course at Bridgwater College Academy in Somerset also advises young people not to turn to vaping or smoking when facing stresses.

Teachers say they have confiscated vapes from pupils of all ages across the secondary school.

Sally Good, head of social enterprise Evidence to Impact, which runs the course, said: "We get [pupils] to think about what sort of young adult they want to be, and do they want to be someone who is addicted to a substance and is spending all their money on it."

Evidence to Impact works with researchers to find the best ways to stop teenagers from vaping.

A 2024 survey by the anti-smoking group ASH found that 18% of children aged 11 to 17 had tried vaping, down from 20.5% in 2023.

Ms Good said: "It's not a surprise that young people are very familiar with vapes.

"Vapes are normalised because they see it in lots of different places."

Natalia Bardini, a teacher at Bridgwater College Academy, said pupils "will know people that vape, they will be close to people that vape; we need to take a non-judgmental approach to it".

She added: "But we also need to be quite firm in the knowledge that it's not good for you."

Other schools that have signed up to the course have seen a reduction in smoking initiation, said Evidence to Impact, which is based in Clevedon.

Pupils taking part in this class said they haven't tried or been offered vapes but see them on a regular basis.

Jacob, a year 7 pupil, said he sees vapes "everywhere", especially busy places like Taunton.

"When I come to school, and get off the bus, I see a couple of people vaping," he said.

Skyler said: "it's basically smoking but it's a little bit less as bad. My mum vapes because she's getting off smoking."

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.