St Joseph's College installs restroom sensors to stop student vaping

One of Stoke-on-Trent’s leading secondary schools, St Joseph’s College in Trent Vale, has installed smart sensors in two “high-priority” restroom areas to stop students from vaping on campus.

The school has also ordered five additional sensors to cover the rest of the London Road campus. In addition to detecting vaping, the sensors can monitor for “abnormal” noise levels and trigger an alert if they are tampered with.

Deputy headteacher Charlotte Slattery said she was initially hesitant because of the cost of the sensors. However, she now believes they are helping reduce student vaping.

She said: “We found that incidents of students vaping in the toilets were increasing. It was difficult to ‘prove’ it was happening and to respond in time. Some toilets were considered more popular than others, so we focused on those first. I hesitated for 12 months because of the cost, but it has been transformational for us. We initially installed two devices only in the worst areas, and we have now ordered another five to be installed in more toilets.”

The move comes after the latest research from public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the proportion of 11- to 17-year-olds who tried vaping in March and April 2023 rose 50% year on year. The latest data show that more than one in nine children over the age of 11 across the country currently vape.

Ms Slattery said many staff members can receive vaping alerts sent by the U.S.-made Halo smart sensors.

She added: “In the first week after they were installed, we received repeated alerts — we were very busy — but that has reduced week by week.” The devices also mean the school can provide support for children who need help quitting the habit. Ms Slattery said: “Being able to identify students who vape also allows us to have more meaningful conversations with young people about the dangers of vaping and to gain the support of parents.

“This helps us have open conversations with students, and we hope those conversations will ultimately become more positive messages rather than just a reaction.”