A SCHOOLGIRL has been kicked out of classes after being caught taking drugs on a school trip.

The girl, a GCSE pupil at Fulford School, in York, was found smoking a cannabis cigarette on the first day of a week-long battlefields trip to France and Belgium.

The girl's parents were immediately contacted by the school and went out to France to collect her and she has now been suspended for a fixed period by headmaster Steve Smith, pictured.

Mr Smith said the school took a dim view of drug use, and action was necessary to safeguard the welfare of staff and the other 44 pupils on the trip.

There are 1,303 youngsters at Fulford School and the battlefields trip for Year 10 students has been running annually for 12 years touring famous First World War battlefields The Somme, Ypres and Arras.

Mr Smith said this was the first time an incident like this had occurred and teachers returning from France said the behaviour of pupils had otherwise been impeccable.

On March 16 the Evening Press told how a teenage boy from Joseph Rowntree school was found in possession of cannabis.

His head teacher, Hugh Porter, called for a fresh debate on drugs in the classroom after being forced to suspend the GCSE pupil.

In that case the pupil, believed to be 16, was arrested and temporarily excluded from the New Earswick school.

In York, 20 pupils have been suspended from city secondary schools since September 2003 for drug-related incidents.

Mr Smith said: "I'm very concerned about the implications that this had for the staff supervising the girl and the other students.

"We all know some of the side effects cannabis has and I'd be concerned for some of the members of staff who'd been looking after a student in that condition and looking after the other students as well.

"Consequently, we contacted the parents and they deeply regret what has happened.

"They went out and collected the student and brought her back."

Mark Ellis, of City of York Council, said: "The number of incidents involving drugs in York schools has remained consistently low and we attribute this to concise guidelines for schools to deal with drugs.

"We have one of the lowest figures in the region for drug-related exclusions for urban inner city schools."

Gabrielle Seger, the Drug Action team director for York and North Yorkshire, said: "Every student within the York school system receives high-quality drug education in accordance with national guidelines and this includes the harm cannabis can cause."

Parents or students wanting drug advice can contact FRANK, the free and confidential advice service, by phoning 0800 776600, or log on to www.talktofrank.com

Updated: 10:13 Monday, April 11, 2005