SDERA Resources for schools

The content aims to support and expand students’ knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes in relation to their health, safety and wellbeing.

The resources are designed to address two relevant and contemporary health contexts for young people, mental health and wellbeing, and drug education.

Challenges and Choices includes a Teacher Resources with two modules, Resilience education and Drug education, and the student workbook ‐ Be Ready.

Access the new Challenges and Choices resources here.

Ongoing drug education throughout a child’s schooling can build students’ resilience and increase their competency in skills needed to be able to make responsible decisions in drug-related situations. Challenges and Choices K-6 resources introduce content and skills relevant to students in these years.

School Drug Education Guidelines aim to keep young people safer and encourage a shared commitment to drug education between staff, students and parents. Guidelines that are developed in consultation with school community members, and are clear and well communicated, are more likely to be implemented and effective.

Download examples of primary and high school guidelines here.

Getting it Together: A Whole School Approach to Drug Education is a practical and user-friendly resource which offers tools to help schools plan and implement whole school drug education strategies. It is based on best practice research – the Principles for School Drug Education and the Health Promoting Schools Framework. It aims to assist school communities to implement effective school drug education. It also offers a step-by-step guide to developing school drug education guidelines including procedures for managing drug use incidents and providing support interventions.

Schools who join SDERA's CHAT: Changing health acting together initiative are given a range of resources to use when auditing, planning and implementing activities in their school to reach Bronze, Silver and Gold Targets. The templates, action plans, surveys and other support materials are easy-to-use and are designed so schools can use them as they are or adapt them to meet their context and needs.

Choices: Alcohol and Other Drugs (Choices) is designed to support teachers delivering the School Curriculum and Standards Authority's (SCSA) Health Studies Course and should be read in conjunction with the Health Studies Course documentation on the SCSA website.