Kent mum’s campaign for drugs education reform

The mother and best friend of a Kent teenager who died after taking tramadol have called for better drugs education in schools.

William Horley died in 2018, aged 17, after taking the opiate with a friend.

Now his mum Kim Webster and best friend Charlie Jeer have teamed up with the Kenward Trust charity.

They say the number of young people taking drugs is growing, and want to help teachers tackle the issue.

"We have seen an increase in the number of young people taking drugs since the pandemic," said Penny Williams, CEO of the Kenward Trust, which is based in Yalding, Kent.

"Also our rehab centre is currently full for the first time since 2010," she added.

They are now calling for more of the £780m from the government's drug strategy to go directly to schools, to help to teach young people about the dangers of substance abuse.

They would like to see more hours dedicated to teaching drugs awareness, as well as a more structured guidance about the exact content of these lessons, and they have created lesson plans for teachers to use.

"The conventional drugs education system isn't working," said Mr Jeer.

"There has to be some sort of reform in the education system around drugs awareness".

Ms Webster said she has spoken to more than 17,000 students since her son's death, giving them an insight into some of the realities that she has had to face.

She believes her face-to-face message is one of the most effective ways to help children understand the dangers of drugs.

"You can hear a pin drop when I speak," she said.

"It's emotional, it's powerful, and the children listen."

In a statement, the Department for Education said teaching young people about the risks of taking drugs was part of compulsory health education.

They added: "We have worked with experts to make sure high-quality teaching resources are available to use in lessons.

"As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects."

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