The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, is working with Swanswell, a national drug and alcohol charity, to examine the consumption of drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and Relentless on children and young people in schools.
Teachers have reported increasing concerns about the impact on children’s behaviour, concentration levels and energy as a result of consuming excessive quantities of these drinks, which contain high levels of caffeine and sugar.
13% of teachers who responded to the online version of the NASUWT’s Big Question survey cited use of caffeine and energy drinks among pupils as a driver of poor pupil behaviour.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “This is the first time we have seen a significant number of teachers beginning to raise this as a concern.
“These drinks are becoming increasingly popular among young people and are often seen as simply like any other soft drink, but many young people and their parents are not aware of the very high levels of stimulants that these drinks contain.
“They are readily available legal highs.
“Teachers are growing increasingly concerned that some young people are using these drinks to enable them to stay up into the early hours of the morning and then replace their lost energy by drinking two or three cans of these drinks on their way to school.
“Teachers are reporting that this affects concentration in class and hyperactivity is then followed by the inevitable crash later in the school day when the impact of these drinks wears off.
“Parents and young people need to be made aware of what these drinks contain and their potential impact on behaviour.“