'We have parents asking if their kids can vape in exams - where will it end?'

Keeping vaping out of Greater Manchester's schools has never been more difficult. That's according to Glyn Potts, headteacher at Saint John Henry Newman Catholic College in Oldham. Over the last few years he has watched as vapes have become part of a daily routine for many young people, a habit that is easy to pick up and deceptively difficult to drop.

It is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18 in the UK - but recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled, with 20.5% of children aged between 11 and 17 having tried vaping in 2023, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Vapes contain high concentrations of nicotine, can be bought at off licences and corner shops, and can even be modified to contain illicit substances including cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and spice - all things Mr Potts says are very real problems at his school.

Earlier this year, a pupil at Henry Newman College was hospitalised after they collapsed from just one hit of a modified vape. It later transpired the pen had contained spice - a synthetic drug known for the 'zombie-like' state shown by users. Since then, the headteacher says he 'prays' there won't be a fatality - but unless something big changes, he 'can't see it not happening'.

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"We know there are people out there selling vapes containing substances that aren't designed for the human body," he told the Manchester Evening News. "I think children are more willing now to use a vape that they believe to contain THC or CBD,