Testimonials

A fabulous resource, well put together and useable

We need resources that can address important and sensitive issues to make them accessible for pupils with range of abilities and needs. This innovative resource has good ideas, useful activities, relevant stories and case studies and clear images. This resource will enable teachers to choose relevant elements to support them to deliver alcohol education for their pupils in ways that pupils will understand.

The resource book used in three Essex children support centres (formerly known as Pupil Referral Units) has contributed to the centres achieving outstanding Ofsted reports. The resource helpfully provided a structured way of evidencing activities the staff have been involved in and the progress made by the student.

The resources from AET have been hugely appreciated, they have enabled our pupils to review their thoughts and misconceptions around alcohol in an interactive and engaging way that has fuelled positive and reflective discussions.  Pupils have been able to access the resources independently to support them come to their own answers on how they could better lead healthier lifestyles and make more informed choices around the use of alcohol.

"I used the AET Teacher Workbook for lesson plans and materials for the LEAF Alcohol Programme last year. I used this resource with all of Year 8 over the period of four lessons and with Year 9 over two lessons."

"I found the resource easy to use. The layout is clear and there is an option to use the worksheets as they stand or to adapt them to meet the needs of your class. The suggested activities also have scope to fit in with the needs of your class and can easily be changed as questions and issues arise. I liked the flexibility of this."

"The resource allowed me to feel confident when delivering these lessons as it is backed up with evidence and statistics. I found my students liked having the facts. It also used language that my students understood and allowed me to feel sure that I was giving the correct information."

"The links to the website mean that the resource is ‘live’ and can be kept current. This is essential for any PSHE resource. I would recommend this resource to other teachers."

"I used (and am continuing to use) the AET Teacher Workbook with my Year 8 SMC classes, with follow up classes when students get to Year 9. I found the resources very easy to use and like the fact that the Workbook contained useful worksheets that were easy to photocopy and distribute to students."

"The AET workbook is the basis for alcohol education for many schools in Staffordshire as they acknowledge this is a quality resource."

"We have worked closely over the last 6 years with Helena and colleagues at the Alcohol Education Trust and I am delighted to be asked to write to endorse their work. The AET has supported us enormously in terms of our drug education work and I have outlined just a few examples below :- – Attendance at both our PSHE Leads meetings and our Young People’s Substance Misuse Meeting to showcase the excellent AET materials to which we signpost all of our secondary schools and other young people’s settings. – Delivery of alcohol awareness sessions for parents at local schools, which are always pitched at exactly the right level and are extremely well received. – Practical, sensible and helpful advice for parents on the AET website – we send this link out to all parents’ groups as a matter of course at Christmas time and before the school holidays. We have received lots of positive feedback from parents about how useful this is. – Most of all the excellent interactive resources on the website which are very clear and which have everything a teacher needs to deliver the sessions. We especially like the set of films with accompanying activities which are great for promoting harm reduction messages. On a personal note I have always found Helena and her colleagues to be extremely approachable, reliable and supportive : any request for speakers or resources is always met with a positive and enthusiastic response . It is also reassuring that we are always asked for feedback and evaluation of anything new, so that we feel very much partners in the development of the work and so that we are able to ensure collectively that the approach is based on a clear evidence base .I look forward to a successful continued partnership with the AET."

"As PSHE Lead for Bath & North East Somerset I am really impressed with the quality, content and interactive nature of the resource and have alerted all our secondary schools to it. I know that a number of them are using the resources and report very positively following lessons. The materials are very accessible for a range of pupils and learning styles and are enjoyed by the students. We particularly like the AET approach which is based on best evidence and which has a social norms approach. Since we have been using the AET resources in B&NES we have seen a considerable reduction in alcohol use and misuse, as evidenced by our regular SHEU surveys of schools. The resource makes life so much easier for teachers and support staff – everything is there and instructions are easy to understand."

"I have been using the AET resources for a number of years and am really impressed with how comprehensive and well-constructed they are.  It is a rare thing to find an organisation who really understands how to reach young people in different year groups effectively.  AETs resources are pitched brilliantly for different age groups and the activities are just the sort of active and engaging activities which make for effective PSHE."

"My students enjoy the activities and demonstrate really good understanding of the issues at the end of their lessons.  It is really helpful in planning a curriculum for specialists and non-specialist teachers that the resources are so detailed and there is such a lot of really good, clear advice for teachers on the website and in the resource book.  I can set these lessons confident that my staff can teach informative, accurate and thoughtful lessons which encourage critical thinking and challenge stereotypes."

"Given the lack of funding in schools it is also worth mentioning that the fact that their resources are free to use is vitally important to schools.  I can’t recommend them highly enough."

"The Alcohol Education Trust (AET) have been providing us with resources for some years now and they have become an invaluable part of our PSHCE curriculum due to the exceptional quality of them. We have also given out their information booklets to parents and students, both say that they are useful, informative and completed to a high standard. Teachers are confident when using the resources that they will be delivering quality, accurate lessons that promote discussion about alcohol."

"AET’s website is an accessible source of information for teachers, parents and young people with each target group having a separate area to visit ensuring relevance and ease of use. The website is a great place to start when approaching difficult conversations about alcohol, but parents and children can each see what the other is being told which enables informed discussions to take place with an understanding of the messages that both are being given. Parents have commented on how easy to use the website is and how informative it is."

"A particular AET resource that I have used regularly with young people in the class is the  www.talkaboutalcohol.com. Every part of this resource has been carefully considered and planned to ensure an engaging, informative, easy to use website has been created that student enjoy using. The use of quizzes and games really enhances this innovative website and the experiential qualities of allowing students to make choices and be actively involved in decision making for a safe night out has a more positive impact than students simply be told the risks. All students within year 9 are given access to talkaboutalcohol and are given ample time to read, play, explore and learn from it during their timetabled PSHCE sessions. Students really enjoy the time they spend on this."

"I think one of the key strengths of the AETs approach is that it is realistic and does not patronise parents or students. The information is delivered in an unbiased way, that is clear and succinct. Young people are aware of the dangers of drinking too much and so this website acknowledges that and helps them to make better decisions and not take risks. The emphasis is on keeping safe whilst drinking. As a freely available resource, it is completed to the highest standard and AET have ensured that they have worked closely with other agencies and teachers to ensure that learning takes place. As a busy teacher I appreciate having the AETs input, updates and resources to use to ensure the quality of the provision that is in place for alcohol education."

"Leweston School have been using AET resources in our PSHE lessons for a number of years. They are extremely accessible; very little preparation is needed in advance of a lesson.  There are numerous age appropriate activities with clear progression.  Students enjoy the various activities and tasks. The supplementary short video clips add more interest, and reinforce the message of the lesson. I would highly recommend AET to all schools."

"AET provide invaluable INSET and informative presentations for parents struggling to find strategies to cope with their teenage children experimenting with alcohol."

“The resource not only provides secondary schools with all they need to teach high quality Alcohol Education but the additional guidance materials provided supports policy development and the engagement of parents.”

“Training was brilliant and along with the resource pack will support me when engaging with young people.”

“Excellent training, great resources and relevant to my work.”

“I realised how little I knew so it was interesting to hear about norms for usage and  facts.”

“I will make sessions more interactive with group discussion and activities. I found this training and resources really useful.”

“This training was so engaging and I learnt so much. It was so useful!”

“Great insight into new trends, the training was informative and  interaction with colleagues was really good in the training ….. It was a relaxed atmosphere and interactive with some really useful tools”.

“Great informative course with excellent tools ideal to better engage our young people.”

Kathryn was very knowledgeable and engaging. I really enjoyed the session and found the resources to be of high quality and something I will definitely be incorporating into my delivery  of the topic” “……I genuinely thought about new techniques and ways in which I could use them in my teaching”.

“I really liked the format using the letters from the word ALCOHOL and the pace of the session allowed discussion and clarity. The students felt the material was appropriate and that tutors were able to support them and become involved. All of the tutors were given a copy of the ppt & video links to follow up the session.”

"Excellent course really enjoyed it and very informative...Very sensitive delivery of training material that made an impact.”

“The workshop was interactive and presented a clear pathway to present ideas on alcohol beyond ‘it is bad for you’. I will be using the resources as a way of helping students identify potential issues with the people in their spheres rather than fall into the trap of targeting alcohol warnings at them personally.”

“Well presented and informative - thank you!”