Drug rehab at toffs' college

LONDON - Eton has turned out distinguished law-makers, record-breaking sportsmen and prime ministers for centuries, as well as grooming future kings.

But Britain's most prestigious public school has now gained a remarkable new distinction, setting up a drug rehabilitation scheme for pupils.

The Berkshire college, whose former pupils include Conservative leader David Cameron, has even employed a counsellor from the Priory in a bid to curb drug use at the 24,000-a-year ($62,000) school.

This unprecedented step, where students are offered therapy instead of expulsion, is in response to concerns about the widespread access that teenagers now have to illegal drugs. Over the past 10 years, at least a dozen pupils have been expelled from Eton for drug use. Three years ago Prince Harry admitted he had taken cannabis during his Eton school holiday.

There have been no expulsions since the introduction of Eton's "softly, softly" approach, said Robert Stephenson, the lower master in charge of anti-drugs policy. The number of pupils testing positive for drugs has reduced "dramatically".

He stressed pupils found dealing or taking drugs were still expelled.

"In the past, if a boy even admitted to drug use then they would have been expelled," said Stephenson. "Now, we discuss the situation. We're fighting a battle to make our boys understand there is no such thing as a safe drug."

Those with serious problems are offered talking therapy - a technique already credited for reforming addicts.

Although Eton declined to give exact figures, it confirmed that "a number" of boys were currently signed to the new scheme.

Former pupils have described Eton as a "magnet" for dealers who know that the privileged pupils have cash .

Tom Seidler, who first became involved in drug-taking while at the college, revealed that pupils would fill in "shopping lists" requesting their drugs of choice, including cannabis, amphetamines, LSD and Ecstasy.

The 29-year-old went to jail at the age of 19 after returning to the school and being found with cannabis and speed. He now sells bibles.

"People have a lot of money to spend at Eton. "Someone would come round with a shopping list and we filled in our requests. Sometimes the total order was in excess of 500.

"Prison made me realise that I had messed up what others never had."

SOFTLY, SOFTLY

* A report found about half of 16-year-old pupils in independent boys schools had experimented with drugs.

* Among 14 and 15-year-olds, nearly a third said they had experimented with drugs.

* Eton has brought in an expert from The Priory, one of Britain's leading addiction centres, to offer therapy to at-risk boys.

* The number of independent schools which expel pupils for drugs has more than halved in five years, and fewer than one in 30 still uses a hardline regime.

- INDEPENDENT