New 2025 SHRN data shows regular vaping and smoking have fallen among secondary school learners in Wales. We look at the latest figures, what they mean and why prevention work still matters.
Information / School vaping toolkit
School vaping toolkit: ready-to-use templates for Wales
A practical set of copy-and-use tools for schools dealing with vaping. Use the incident checklist after an event, the policy checklist during review, the parent message for home communication and the staff briefing for a quick team update.
Built for secondary schools in Wales and linked to current Public Health Wales guidance.
Last reviewed: 24 September 2026
FOUR TOOLS
Use the bit you need. You do not need to read the whole page first.
1. Incident response checklist 2. School policy checklist 3. Parent/carer message 4. 10-minute staff briefing
Choose a tool
A vaping incident happened today
Use a short checklist to record what happened, assess the pattern of use, spot supply concerns and decide the next support step.
We are reviewing school policy
Check whether vaping is clearly covered across behaviour, safeguarding, trips, events, visitors, pupil support and reporting routes.
We need to contact home
Use the parent/carer message as a starting point and adapt the details to match your school and the individual incident.
Staff need a quick briefing
Run a 10-minute update covering the facts, school response, nicotine dependence, supply concerns and who staff should speak to.
1. Vaping incident response checklist
Use after a pupil is found vaping, carrying a vape or linked to supply.
☐ Record the date, time and location.
☐ Record what was seen or found. Do not guess what a product contains.
☐ Ask where the product came from and how it was obtained.
☐ Ask how often the pupil vapes and when they last used it.
☐ Ask whether they get cravings or find it hard to get through lessons without vaping.
☐ Check whether other pupils are involved in buying, selling or sharing products.
☐ Follow your school behaviour and safeguarding procedures.
☐ Decide whether home needs to be contacted.
☐ Consider pastoral, school nursing or stop-smoking support where nicotine dependence may be involved.
☐ Report suspected illegal or underage sales through the appropriate route. Staff should not investigate or confront sellers.
A simple way to classify the follow-up
Experimenting: tried it once or a small number of times. Focus on pressure, curiosity and prevention.
Regular use: vaping has become part of the pupil’s routine. Explore triggers, access, cost and what keeps the pattern going.
Possible dependence: strong cravings, irritability without vaping, repeated use during the school day or difficulty stopping. Add a support plan rather than relying on sanctions alone.
2. School vaping policy checklist
☐ Vaping is named clearly in the policy rather than being left under a vague reference to smoking.
☐ The policy applies across school buildings, grounds, trips, events and activities.
☐ Expectations for pupils are clear and consistent.
☐ Staff know what to do when a vape or unknown product is found.
☐ Staff know the route for safeguarding concerns linked to supply, coercion, debt or unknown substances.
☐ The response distinguishes experimentation, regular use and possible nicotine dependence.
☐ A support route exists for pupils who want to stop.
☐ Parents and carers know the school position and who to contact.
☐ Curriculum content covers nicotine, smoking, vaping, pressure, marketing and decision-making.
☐ Staff know how to report suspected underage or illegal sales.
☐ The school reviews its own incident data and learner feedback to identify patterns.
Current law note for school policies
At 24 September 2026: nicotine-containing vapes cannot legally be sold to anyone under 18, and an adult cannot buy one on behalf of an under-18.
From 29 October 2026: the age-of-sale rule expands to all vaping and nicotine products, including non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products.
School policies can set rules for possession and use on school premises that are separate from retail age-of-sale law.
3. Parent/carer message template
Subject: Vaping incident involving your child
We are contacting you to let you know that your child was involved in a vaping incident at school today.
Our first priority is to understand what happened and what support may be needed. We will respond in line with our school behaviour and safeguarding procedures. We will look at whether this appears to be experimentation, regular vaping or a sign that nicotine dependence may be developing.
We encourage you to speak calmly with your child about what they used, how often they vape, where the product came from and whether they are finding it difficult to stop.
If your child is worried about cravings or wants help to stop, support is available. You can find practical guidance for families through ASH Wales Parent Support and NHS support through Help Me Quit.
If you have information about a shop, seller or online account supplying products illegally or to under-18s, concerns can be reported anonymously through No Ifs. No Butts. You do not need proof and you should not confront a seller.
Please contact [school contact/name] if you would like to discuss the incident or the support available.
Kind regards,
[name / role / school]
Keep the message factual
Avoid telling families that vaping and smoking carry the same risk. The useful message is that vaping is not for children and young people, nicotine can create dependence, and smoking remains far more harmful.
Give families somewhere useful to go
Link parents to practical guidance rather than sending them home with the incident alone. Parent Support covers products, conversations, school incidents, quitting and reporting concerns.
Flag supply concerns
If a pupil says products are coming from a shop, older seller, delivery service or online account, record the information and use the reporting route. Do not ask pupils or staff to investigate.
4. Ten-minute staff briefing
Minute 1 to 2: the facts
Most young people in Wales do not vape. Weekly vaping among Years 7 to 11 was 5.2% in the 2025 SHRN survey. Vaping is not harmless, but it should not be presented as equally harmful as smoking.
Minute 3 to 4: what staff should do
Follow the school procedure, record the incident, ask where the product came from and flag safeguarding concerns. Do not try to identify unknown substances by smell, taste or dismantling a device.
Minute 5 to 6: dependence
Repeated vaping during the school day, strong cravings, irritability without vaping or failed attempts to stop may point to nicotine dependence. Sanctions alone may not address that.
Minute 7 to 8: supply
Ask where products are coming from. Patterns involving shops, social media, older sellers or pupil-to-pupil selling should be recorded and passed through the right safeguarding or reporting route.
Minute 9 to 10: support
Remind staff where pupils can get pastoral or school nursing support, where families can find guidance and who within school handles reporting and referrals.