HEADTEACHERS have vowed to continue taking a hard line against drug-taking by pupils after 12 were caught in a crackdown at Gordonstoun.
One was expelled and 11 suspended from the Prince of Wales' former school, which charges up to £26,000 a year for boarders.
Teachers at the school in Elgin, Moray, reportedly launched the inquiry after hearing one of the students had been dealing
cannabis.
The pupils were asked to admit smoking cannabis and be suspended, or take a urine test and be expelled if it came back positive in the last two weeks of the summer term.
Mark Pyper, the headteacher, said:
"As soon as we became aware of a possible problem, we took action and as a result one pupil was asked to leave and 11 were suspended for two weeks."
Most independent schools operate a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, which will see a first offender automatically suspended.
However, any pupil found with hard drugs, a repeat offender or anyone dealing or encouraging others to partake would likely face expulsion. Some schools operate a random drugs testing scheme.
Judith Sischy, the director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, said Gordonstoun's action demonstrated independent schools took drug use very seriously.
The full article contains 212 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
