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Teachers say vaping has rapidly become one of the biggest behavioural and wellbeing challenges on school grounds. School toilets, corridors and even classrooms are becoming common locations for school children to vape at school. 

Earlier this year, a NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union survey looked into the current vaping crisis in schools. 

Teachers Speak Out on the Rise of Vaping in Schools

The NASUWT’s Behaviour in Schools survey launched earlier this year included a section on school and college settings vaping and received over 5,000 responses from teachers. These figures paint a picture of the vaping crisis evident in schools. 

The Hotspot For Vaping In School: The Toilets

The 2025 survey data also revealed the main hotspot for vaping in schools was the school toilets. Eight in ten students (81%) reportedly gather in school toilets to vape during the school day. These toilets have become hotspots because they offer the combination of privacy, minimal supervision, and opportunity.

Research by the Health Intelligence Unit, PHA also found that teachers view school toilets as the main place young people vape within school premises. 

The report also showed that vaping in school toilets also has an impact on non-vaping students:

Some students mentioned how difficult it was to access toilets at break times due to the number of pupils vaping in cubicles. 

Some students did not like being exposed to vaping and the effects of inhaling second-hand vapour.

Teachers say that school toilets have become a ‘social place’ for students to gather together outside of lesson time. A concerning problem about vaping in school toilets is that it is happening out of sight. The location has also made it difficult for teachers to ‘police’ due to privacy issues.

Behavioural Insights into Youth Vaping in Northern Ireland report

How Schools are Dealing with Vaping

In practice, the school vaping crisis has several knock-on effects.

• Disruption to lessons: Students miss learning time due to leaving class under the guise of needing the toilet, only to vape instead.
• Intimidation of non-vaping pupils: Some pupils avoid using the toilets altogether because they feel uncomfortable or unsafe among groups vaping.
• Damage to school property: The NASUWT survey also found that teachers reported damage to plumbing, fixtures and vandalism as pupils flush devices or attempt to hide them in ceiling tiles or vents. 
• Normalisation of vaping behaviour: With so many students vaping at school, vaping has become accepted as part of everyday life.
• Vaping drugs at school: Numerous teachers are also concerned that vapes are being used to take drugs such as spice and THC.

Tackling Vaping Through Education

Education is a key tool in tackling hidden vaping in schools, helping students understand the risks and challenging the perception that vaping is harmless. An educational approach equips students to make safer choices. 

Teachers state that vape marketing is contributing to the vaping crisis as sweet vape flavours appeal to young people. Many NASUWT survey respondents reported that sweet and fruit vape flavours lead young people to believe that vaping cannot be harmful. 

Many UK schools now include vaping within PSHE lessons and have vaping toolkits with posters, presentations, and other discussion materials to help generate conversation around vaping. Wokingham Schools Hub is just one website which has plenty of resources in their Vaping toolkit for schools. 

“In an age rife with misinformation, schools need support and resources to make sure pupils fully understand the dangers of tobacco and nicotine. NASUWT is calling for the government to fund school-based programs to prevent youth vaping, and to provide clear guidance for schools on addressing vaping-related issues.” - Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union

Vape Detection for Schools

As vaping increasingly occurs in schools, and in hidden areas such as school toilets, many schools are turning to advanced technology to detect vaping on school premises.

School vape detectors like the HALO Smart Sensor are used in education settings to detect when and where vaping is taking place. 

To promote a healthier school environment and to discourage vaping, Halo detects vaping when it occurs not just in classrooms but private areas like school toilets and locker rooms. Particularly when schools are concerned about the difficulties in ‘policing’ vaping in school toilets, vape detectors can monitor these discreet areas while preserving student privacy. 

The HALO detection technology is the only vape detection product that can tell the difference between: vaping, vaping with THC, and masking vaping behaviour. 

“Schools have so much to contend with in the modern day, that vaping problems is the last thing they should be contending with when they already have to battle bad behaviour, learning challenges, and the continued impact in a post-pandemic environment. 

“Having that ability to lean on technology that can curb the issues that stem from vaping could prove invaluable in the long-term, so it’s important that educational facilities look to these kinds of solutions as a means of deterring and preventing health problems and damage to property.”  - Thomas Bradley, Marketing Manager, Eemits Communications

Urgent Action Is Needed to Protect Students from Vaping

The dangers of vaping among young people can no longer be ignored. E-cigarettes should help adults quit smoking, not start a new generation addicted to nicotine. Yet today, children as young as ten are being exposed to devices that can cause addiction and health concerns. 

Data also showed that teachers are concerned about schoolchildren using vapes to take drugs such as spice and THC. In one recent incident, a Welsh teenager was left “completely lifeless” after vaping an unknown substance at school. This incident is one of many shocking reminders of just how dangerous the habit can be when left unchecked. 

As the crisis deepens, schools, parents, and policymakers must work together to act faster. Without decisive action, hidden vaping will continue to harm pupils’ health, disrupt learning, and normalise nicotine addiction in classrooms across the UK.

Speak to Eemits Today About Vaping Detection

Eemits specialise in two-way radios for schools and vape dectection solutions. If you'd like to find out more about how we help schools, then contact us online today, or call us on 0800 328 0100 - between 8:30am and 5:15pm Monday to Friday.