To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many schools have contacted his Department for guidance on visits from (a) Narconon and (b) the Church of Scientology in the last two years; and what guidance has been issued by his Department; (141161)

The Department has had no contact with Narconon or the Church of Scientology in the last two years, nor have schools contacted the Department for guidance on visits by these organisations.

The Department’s guidance, “Drugs: Guidance for Schools” (DFES 2004) is clear that teachers should be the main providers of drug education and maintain responsibility for the overall drug education programme in their school. External contributors can be used where they add to the drug education programme a dimension that the teacher alone cannot deliver.

The Department has not assessed the Narconon drug programme for schools as it is for schools and local authorities to decide whether to use the services of an external contributor to assist with their drug education programme, and if so who this should be.