Teachers blamed for record number of children being prescribed 'chemical cosh'

By KATE LOVEYS

The vast majority of the children on 'chemical cosh' were given the potent drug on the instruction of their teacher

Teachers have been blamed for the record number of children prescribed ‘chemical cosh’ drugs such as Ritalin.

There are now some 650,000 eight to 13-year-olds on the drug or its equivalents.

This marks an astonishing rise, up from 92,700 in 1997 and just 9,000 in 1990, according to NHS figures.

Yesterday it emerged the vast majority of the children were given the potent drug on the instruction of their teacher.

Critics say staff are too quick to dish out drugs if their pupils get restless – in an effort to keep control of the classroom. And experts warned of the damage inflicted on ‘developing minds’.

Amphetamine-like Ritalin is prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, by increasing alertness and improving aspects of ­concentration and memory.

Tom Burkard, of the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, said: ‘Due to health and safety regulations and unstimulating education techniques, kids are expected to sit still at a desk for six to eight hours

a day. To think they will not fidget and get

restless is completely unrealistic. Then the teachers, struggling to cope, get the children dosed up on drugs so they can control the classroom.’

Russell Hobby, of head teachers’ union the NAHT, agreed it was an increasing problem but said issues in society as a whole, not teachers, were to blame.

He added: ‘It’s an increasing issue in our society. We label children as having medical conditions when they just have minor behavioural problems.’