Skip to content
Skip to content

Smoke-free School Gates

Making Our Spaces Smokefree

While it’s illegal to smoke within school grounds in Wales, this legislation doesn’t extend to the school gates. Smoking outside schools is a highly visible behaviour, influencing young minds. Research shows that children who regularly see adults smoking are more likely to take up the habit themselves.

In Wales, 8% of 15–16-year-olds still smoke regularly – a figure that has not fallen since 2013. Each year, around 6,000 children in Wales take up smoking, and three-quarters of these will become long-term smokers. Tackling visible smoking in places frequented by children is crucial to breaking this cycle.

Download FREE Guide English
Download FREE Guide Welsh

What We're Calling For?

  • Expanded Smokefree Zones

  •  Advocate for smokefree policies to extend to the immediate vicinity of school gates to protect children from secondhand smoke exposure. </center>

  • Awareness Campaigns

  • Work with schools, parents, and communities to raise awareness about the impact of smoking near schools and encourage smoke-free behaviours. </center>

  • Youth Empowerment

  • Involve students in designing smokefree signage and campaigns, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility for creating healthier school environments. </center>

 Advocate for smokefree policies to extend to the immediate vicinity of school gates to protect children from secondhand smoke exposure. </center>

Work with schools, parents, and communities to raise awareness about the impact of smoking near schools and encourage smoke-free behaviours. </center>

Involve students in designing smokefree signage and campaigns, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility for creating healthier school environments. </center>

Why It Matters?

Protecting Children

When children see smoking near their schools, it normalises the habit and makes it appear socially acceptable. Reducing this visibility helps prevent future generations from starting to smoke, creating a healthier Wales.

Community Role Models

School gates are where families and community members gather daily. By asking adults to refrain from smoking here, we can promote positive role modelling and create an environment that reinforces healthy behaviour.

Reducing Health Inequalities

Smoking has a bigger impact on children from lower-income families, leading to lifelong health inequalities. Smoke-free school gates is a simple yet powerful way to protect vulnerable children.

Get Involved

If you’d like to make your school gates smoke-free or learn more about the campaign, please get in touch with our team at [email protected] or call 029 2049 0621.

Let’s work together to protect children, families, and communities from the harms of smoking.

Download Our FREE Resources

We’ve developed a range of free resources to help schools, councils, and communities implement smoke-free school gates.

  • Download Social Media Posts

Support Our Work

Your support helps us create impactful campaigns and provide free resources to schools and communities across Wales. Every donation brings us closer to a smoke-free generation.

Donate

Join Us For

No Smoking Day 2025
Sign Up Today
  • STARTS IN:
Days :
Hours :
Minutes :
Seconds