Alcohol

To nurture the skills of resilience is key to providing young people with the ability to cope with stress, adversity, failure and challenges. Resilience is evident when young people have a greater ability to “bounce back” when faced with difficulties and achieve positive outcomes.

Resilience is required to say no to sharing an alcoholic drink with friends and to take responsibility for seeking expert advice and support when it is needed.

Alcohol education forms an important part of a school’s drug education curriculum, helping children and young people develop the knowledge and skills to make safe, informed choices.

Rather than relying on “just say no” messages, effective alcohol education focuses on:

  • Delaying first use of alcohol.
  • Reducing alcohol-related harm and risk-taking behaviours.
  • Building understanding of how alcohol can affect health, wellbeing, and decision-making.
  • Encouraging respectful attitudes towards people who may choose to drink or not drink alcohol.

Through age-appropriate learning, pupils explore:

  • The short- and long-term effects of alcohol.
  • How friends, family, media, and wider society can influence choices.
  • How to recognise reliable information and sources of support.
  • Personal safety, responsibility, relationships, and the law.

By developing these skills early, schools can help reduce the risk of harmful alcohol use later in life and support young people’s health, wellbeing, and future aspirations.

The latest local data shows that most young people do not drink alcohol regularly, and alcohol use among young people has been declining over time.

  • In Cambridgeshire, 22% of Year 8 and Year 10 pupils reported drinking alcohol in the week before the 2021 Health-Related Behaviour Survey, down from 25% in 2018.
  • Just 2% said someone had bought alcohol for them with their money in the previous week (down from 3% in 2018), while 17% reported being given alcohol (down from 19% in 2018).
  • More than 40 secondary schools participated in the 2022 Health-Related Behaviour Survey, providing valuable insight into local trends.

While alcohol use has fallen, it remains an important public health concern:

  • Alcohol use during adolescence is linked to poorer short- and long-term health, wellbeing, and educational outcomes.
  • In 2018-19, more than 10,000 secondary school pupils in England were excluded from school, either temporarily or permanently, for alcohol- and drug-related issues.
  • Around 26 in every 1,000 children in England live with a parent experiencing alcohol or opiate dependency. This equates to approximately 25 pupils in an average secondary school and 7 pupils in an average primary school.
  • Rates of hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions among under-18s remain a concern. Although Peterborough (23.2 per 100,000) and the East of England (24.5 per 100,000) are below the England average (32.9 per 100,000), Cambridgeshire remains higher at 37.9 per 100,000.

For more information on local alcohol use data, contact the PSHE Service at [email protected].

(Data awaiting refresh from 2026 Schools Survery)

Alcohol education is most effective when delivered as part of a whole-school PSHE approach, supported by a positive school environment and strong protective factors. Learning should be carefully sequenced, age-appropriate, and build on prior knowledge.

Research shows the most effective approaches:

  • Form part of a planned PSHE curriculum rather than standalone lessons.
  • Build knowledge and skills progressively over time.
  • Focus on risk and resilience factors that influence behaviour.
  • Include support and engagement for families and parents where appropriate.
  • Create a school culture that promotes health, wellbeing, and positive choices.

Learning about self-awareness, resilience, healthy relationships, mental wellbeing, and the influence of peers, family, and media helps children and young people make safe, informed decisions throughout their lives.

For Further information on good practice see Evidence Review  -Effective drug and alcohol education (downloadable from the PSHE Association)

Effective alcohol education can support positive health outcomes while reducing the impact of alcohol use on attendance, attainment, and wellbeing.

Schools should:

  • Deliver age-appropriate alcohol education as part of a planned PSHE curriculum.
  • Promote informed, responsible decision-making and awareness of risks.
  • Reflect different cultural, religious, and personal views about alcohol, while clearly explaining the law.
  • Identify and respond to factors that may increase vulnerability to substance use.
  • Strengthen protective factors such as positive relationships, clear expectations, resilience, and a supportive school environment.
  • Work in partnership with parents, carers, and support services where needed.

Research shows that young people may be at greater risk of alcohol and drug use if they experience difficulties at school, spend time with peers who use substances, start smoking at an early age, or have limited parental supervision. Strong family relationships, clear boundaries, and positive school experiences can help protect against these risks.

  • The facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, alcohol use, and drug taking.

Source: Relationships Education RSE and Health Education (DfE) Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education – GOV.UK

  • The facts about legal substances and illegal substances, including drug-taking, and the associated risks, including the link to serious mental health conditions.
  • The physical and psychological risks associated with alcohol consumption and what constitutes (relatively) safe alcohol consumption.
  • The physical and psychological consequences of addiction, including alcohol dependency.

Source: Relationships Education RSE and Health Education (DfE) Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education – GOV.UK

Local Support

#POW

We’re a young people’s drug and alcohol service. We’re here to listen and support young people who are having trouble with alcohol and drugs. Who We Are We are a free and confidential drug and alcohol service for young people aged between 10 and 18. We won’t judge or tell you what to do, we

Read More About #POW

CASUS

Cambridgeshire Child and Adolescent Substance Use Service (CASUS)provides information, support and specialist treatment in Cambridgeshire around drug and alcohol use to young people under 18 years of age and their families. CASUS is a NHS team that specialises in working with young people who have developed problematic or harmful use of substances. We see young

Read More About CASUS

Keep Your Head

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) Partners have refreshed the Keep Your Head website. It continues to provide a central hub of high quality information on mental health and mental health services. It also offers tailored and age-appropriate information for children and young people, adults, professionals and schools on a wide range of

Read More About Keep Your Head

Life Education Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

Life Education is a primary prevention programme focusing on drug and health education. We explore with young people how amazing their bodies are and how the human body can be affected by drugs. We develop understanding around physical and mental health. Through the ‘life skills’ approach, children are enabled to practise how to make healthy

Read More About Life Education Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

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