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All staff at schools

Stoptober 2026

October sees the return of Stoptober, the national stop smoking campaign that encourages people who smoke to quit together. Stopping smoking for 28 days makes people five times more likely to quit for good, making Stoptober the perfect opportunity for parents, carers and staff to take the first step towards a smoke-free future.

Schools can help by sharing the attached Stoptober poster (png, 1mb) with parents, carers and staff throughout October.

This year’s campaign highlights the benefits of quitting smoking for the whole family, including:

  • Improved health and wellbeing
  • More money in the household budget
  • Reduced exposure to second-hand smoke

National campaign resources

A range of free resources, including posters, social media graphics and communication materials, can be downloaded from the Campaign Resource Centre:

Stoptober 2026 | Campaign Resource Centre

Oxfordshire resources and support

Schools looking for Oxfordshire-specific Stoptober materials, including social media assets, posters, digital screen slides and information about local events, can contact:

Connor Jeffries
Smokefree Oxon
connor.jeffries@smokefreeoxon.org.uk

Parents, carers and young people aged 13 and over who would like support to stop smoking can access free advice and local stop smoking services through Smokefree Oxon.

Schools may also wish to share the smoking and vaping information available through Smokefree Oxon, which includes resources for parents, carers and young people.

Free smoking and vaping prevention programme for secondary schools

All Oxfordshire secondary schools can access INTENT, a free, evidence-based smoking and vaping prevention programme.

INTENT provides curriculum-ready resources and support to help young people make informed decisions about smoking, vaping and nicotine use.

To find out more about INTENT, please contact:

Charlotte Iddon
Public Health Team, Oxfordshire County Council
charlotte.iddon@oxfordshire.gov.uk

By working together this Stoptober, schools can play an important role in supporting healthier, smoke-free families across Oxfordshire.