Liz Fuller at the DEF
Yesterday the Drug Education Forum was delighted to have the chance to hear from Dr Liz Fuller the author of the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use survey reports.
Liz pointed out 1 in 11 schools take part in the survey and they include private as well as state schools and the sample is regionally representative.
She explained that the way they organise the conditions in which the survey is completed by the over 7,000 young people who completed the questionnaire increases the likelihood of receiving accurate information - exam conditions mean that there is not the pressure to exaggerate or underplay drug use, as does the fact that young people are picked from amongst year groups rather than just from one.
She also told us that the focus of the questions changes in alternate years, with this year being one which focuses on drugs and next year will have more questions about smoking and drinking.
Liz was clear about the limitations around the survey, it doesn't take place in Pupil Referral Units and is likely to under-represent groups of young people with particular vulnerabilities. However, the consistency of the questions and the fact that similar trends can be observed in surveys of young adults suggest that the results are broadly valid.
Interestingly Liz has been working with consultants from the PSHE Association to develop resources based on the findings which will be available to schools that take part in the survey. It's hoped that this will be an incentive for what remains a voluntary task.
The survey is funded by three government departments, the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Education and we can only hope that they continue to see the value in gathering this detailed information about young people's drug use.
Here are the slides Dr Fuller used with us yesterday.
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This blog tries to pick up relevant media and research stories about drug education. It mainly focuses on information in England as this is the geographical remit for the Drug Education Forum. We welcome comments that are on topic.Categories
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