From September 2024 to August 2025, East Sussex County Council worked with the University of Brighton and other partners to evaluate a Theatre in Education programme in local secondary schools. The council coordinates this programme to enhance the learning that children receive through their PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education in school.
What was the aim of the research?
The research explored whether a drug education Theatre in Education programme in East Sussex schools helps prevent drug use among young people. We wanted to find out about health and economic benefits for young people and society. This research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances (Phase 2).
How did we do the research?
The programme we evaluated included school lessons, a drama performance, follow-up classroom activities, and teacher training. Twenty-four secondary and special schools took part. We carried out pupil and teacher surveys, focus groups with pupils and parents/carers, and interviews with teachers. We found out about people’s knowledge, experiences, views about drug use and opinions of the programme. This helped us understand whether and how future drug use could be reduced.
Young people from local schools were involved in the research from the start. They gave advice on changes to the drama production, research tools and how results are shared.
Information for those who took part in the research remains available at eastsussex.gov.uk | theatre-in-education
What did we learn?
We found that the programme had small but significant effects. It could slow down when/if young people try drugs, potentially improving health and employment prospects in the long-term. We learned that peer discussion, reflection and practising responses to being offered drugs were key to improving ability or intention to avoid drugs. We found that the programme works best when all parts of the programme are fully delivered.
We wrote a guide on how similar drama-based drug prevention programmes could be run to help other council/school staff:
- Spotlight on Theatre in Education: A practical guide for commissioners and educators on designing and delivering impactful programmes that help young people to stay healthy, safe and well.
Acknowledgements
Our thanks go to staff and pupils at all East Sussex schools participating in Theatre in Education programmes, and especially to those who contributed to the ‘Investigating the role of Theatre in Education in preventing illicit substance use’ research project. Thanks also to members of the project’s Young People’s Advisory Group, for their valuable insights and advice.
The research project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances (RDIS) (Grant Reference Number NIHR206768). The project was led by East Sussex County Council and the University of Brighton, in collaboration with Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Kent and Unity Insights.
