Pupils expelled from Shropshire school over drugs bust
Two students have been expelled after being caught with drugs at their Shropshire secondary school.
A number of students were caught with cannabis on the site of Adams' Grammar School, it has been revealed.
The students involved have not been named, but headmaster Gary Hickey has said they were senior boarders at the school in Newport.
Mr Hickey has since launched a full investigation into the allegations of drug use among his senior boarding pupils at Adams Grammar, a selective state school.
And he today said he is "determined" to address what he sees as widespread availability of drugs in Newport.
Five male students were involved, with three of them receiving a fixed-term suspension following the investigation.
And the two students who brought the drugs into the boarding house at the school on November 28 have been permanently excluded.
Mr Hickey has also written to the parents of all senior boarders at Adams' telling them that he is intending to test the pupils for drugs.
He said: "On the evening of the recent Newport Lights event a small group of Adams' pupils were easily able to source and purchase cannabis in the town.
"Two of our boarders made the mistake of bringing some back into our boarding house. Although the activity was over a weekend, not during a school day, and there never was a suggestion or evidence of the drugs coming into the main school site, this was still totally unacceptable.
"It is my absolute intention that the safety and security of the boarding house and school should be maintained.
"To that end the students all know I will not tolerate any possession or use of drugs on site and anyone found doing so will be excluded."
Mr Hickey said parents should be aware that cannabis is "relatively cheap and easy to get".
He added: "The availability of drugs for young people in Newport is a huge issue for the police as it is for a lot of small rural communities."
Pc Lee Thomas of West Mercia Police said: "We work closely with all of our local schools to both tackle and identify problems related to students bringing such items into school premises, and also to educate young people about the harm that drugs can do."
