Chloe Barrell is a Health Promotion Practitioner for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and has been helping schools across the region to adopt the Smokefree School Gates campaign. She explains how schools can get started and what the process involves:

What is Smokefree School Gates?
Smokefree School Gates is a campaign started by ASH Wales that encourages parents, staff, visitors and passers-by not to smoke at the school gates. Schools that apply to join the scheme are given a Smokefree School Gates plaque that they can display to show that they support the campaign and to remind people not to smoke by the gates. The campaign is coordinated by Healthy Schools Coordinators across Wales.

How do you spread the message about Smokefree School Gates to schools?
The main way of spreading the word about the Smokefree School Gates campaign is through the Healthy Schools Coordinators across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. They promote the scheme through newsletters sent to schools. For example, I’ll put together a piece with photographs of a school which has gone smoke free and include direct quotes from parents and teachers about the positive effects the plaque has had. I will offer the plaques on a first come, first served basis and give the schools a deadline to apply by emailing me directly.

What happens once schools get in touch to request a smoke free school gates plaque?

I’ll place an order for plaques with the printing company. I usually give a deadline of approx 3 months, and can have as many as 35 requests in one term. The printing company usually delivers the plaques within a week or so then I arrange a time for them to go out to the schools, usually within a month. There is no cost to the schools.

Apart from putting up the plaque or window sticker, what else can schools do to show that they have adopted the policy?

What we ask in return for the plaque is that they display the plaque in a prominent position, they update any policies they have regarding smokefree areas and notify the parents on the updated policy. Finally, we ask that they identify an action they could take as a school, such as some kind of activity with the children explaining the reasons why they have been awarded a plaque. I go into schools to deliver assemblies and take in Help Me Quit cards and leaflets and, where possible, I encourage positive conversations with parents about quitting.