Education charity Drinkaware is promoting Alcohol Awareness Week, which runs from November 13 to 19, in a bid to highlight the benefits of alcohol education in schools.
Research from the charity’s Drinkaware Monitor, in conjunction with Ipsos Mori, found that only one in four young people have received helpful information about alcohol from teachers, and 56 per cent of young people who were drinking said that they drank alcohol to fit in.
Previous research has also revealed that young people who are engaged in excessive or prolonged drinking are more likely to be missing classes.
Drinkaware specifically targets young people aged nine to 14 and has a range of free education resources focused on understanding the risks of underage drinking.
Elaine Hindal, Drinkaware’s chief executive, said: “Drinkaware’s resources give teachers a head-start in educating children about alcohol and its harms. They can be used in PSHE classes and are flexible so that teachers can mix and match activities to suit their students’ needs. Most importantly, they help children to learn about the consequences of drinking alcohol.”
The resources include factsheets, activities and videos and cover a wide range of subjects for group discussion, from alcohol risks and harms to handling peer pressure.
- For more information about Drinkaware for Education, and the free teaching resources, go to www.drinkaware.co.uk/education