Western Sydney school allows teenage students to smoke

A Western Sydney school is allowing students aged as young as 15 to smoke cigarettes during breaks in an effort to stop them from dropping out.

Blacktown's Warakirri College has lifted a rule that prohibits students from smoking on campus during recess and lunch breaks, after finding that children would use the rule as an excuse to drop out, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The specialised school caters for students age from 15 and 22 who have been rejected by the mainstream school system and lack necessary qualifications to proceed to TAFE or gainful employment.

Principal Carolyn Blanden said she does not discriminate against prospective students with facial piercings, coloured hair, tattoos or those who flout uniform policy.

Instead, she wants to give socio-economically disadvantaged students and victims of violence an opportunity to better themselves so they don't go "back to floating around the streets or into detention".

"At my school you can come with bright blue hair and metal in your face," Ms Blanden told the Daily Telegraph.

"If you need to have a smoke, that’s OK too."

Students undertake three subjects a year instead of the six studied at most mainstream schools.