AET Newsletter for Teachers and other Professionals - Scotland

Edition 1 - Autumn Term 2019

Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter for Scotland and we hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Summer break! Many of you will have spoken to or met Brian Gibson, who has been working hard across Scotland this year, delivering training and introducing ‘Talk about Alcohol’ to 100 schools and organisations already! Do read more about some of the partnerships and engagements we have been involved in as well as about the support we can offer to your school or organisation ongoing.

AET's Scotland Office

Our Scottish office is kindly hosted by The Wise Group in Glasgow City Centre. We have strengthened the effectiveness of our work in Scotland by establishing the local office with Brian Gibson as our dedicated trainer supporting schools, parents/carers and youth organisations nationally. You can contact Brian via brian@alcoholeducationtrust.org .

How can we support your school or organisation?

We are delighted to be able to support all Scottish schools with the following highly evaluated and evidence-based resources free of charge:

- Bespoke Scottish Workbook- including lesson plans, games and activities organised by topic and year group and specific to Scottish facts, figures and laws. You can also download a full copy of this 100 page resource  via https://alcoholeducationtrust.org/download-teacher-workbook-scotland/ 

- Up to 110 copies of our 'Talking to Kids about Alcohol' parent guide offering factual information, top tips and advice on keeping children safe around alcohol.

- Up to 110 copies of student guide 'Alcohol and You' offering accessible advice and factual information for teens on alcohol and staying safe.

We also have a carefully crafted comprehensive activity box which is particularly suitable for one to one or small group work. This contains laminated conversation starter and higher harm discussion cards, games and quiz activities as well as knowledge sheets on units, the law and more. It also includes the BAFTA winning 'Just a few Drinks' DVD and resources especially designed for children with additional needs. The activity box is available for just £45 and is fully compatible with the Talk about Alcohol workbook and online games and resources.  

If you work with a high number of pupils with ASN or who are looked after, please let us know as we may be able to provide a copy free of charge due to grant funding.

Teacher, Staff and Parent Talks

Brian is very happy to deliver supportive and informative talks about alcohol and teenagers to parents and carers via schools, organisations and clubs across Scotland. Please contact Brian via brian@alcoholeducationtrust.org for further information!

Online resources

We have a wealth of online resources which are freely accessible. www.alcoholeducationtrust.org contains a vast range of resources for teachers and parents including films, worksheets, lesson plans and information sheets by topic and by suggested age.

Our online learning zone www.talkaboutalcohol.com is a young people-facing website offering exciting and fun games such as 'Brave the Rave' and 'Chimp Shop' which help children learn in an interactive fun way to make healthier more informed choices. There are quizzes and activities by topic and the site is fully integrated with our workbook and the www.alcoholeducationtrust.org site.

What have we done so far?

We have now fulfilled our initial aim of supporting 100 schools across Scotland with either hard copies or online downloads of our resources but we're not going to stop there! Without exception, each school we have supported has emphasised how good it is to have quality evidence-based resources within a very structured Teacher Workbook supported by a great interactive website www.talkaboutalcohol.com . Schools from across the whole of Scotland have been supported. Some of the highlights so far include:

• Working with Police Scotland's School Link Officers based in Edinburgh schools and giving them access to resources to help them support PSE delivery within the schools. Following a training session, Sergeant Greig Stephen commented the AET programme is 'a very timely and useful resource for all school link officers'.
• Being invited to present at the Scottish Guidance Association's annual conference later this year, following a presentation to Queen Victoria School in Perthshire.

• Following a great introductory meeting with the Principal Teacher of Guidance in Craigie High School (Evie Graham), a training session on AET’s resources was delivered to a cluster of guidance teachers from schools across Dundee.
• Our CEO featuring twice on BBC Scotland - both on TV and radio.
• Developing relationships with a range of community organisations including Mentor, Crew 2000, Royston Youth Action, Fare and Big Hearts Community Trust.

News round up

'Count 14' NHS Scotland campaign and debate on the future of alcohol guidelines

A new campaign has been launched by NHS Scotland to promote awareness of the latest recommended guidelines for drinking - 14 units per week for both men and women. The campaign follows debates around the health risks associated with alcohol and how these are communicated. You can read more about this via https://www.alcoholpolicy.net/2019/03/count-14-nhs-scotland-guideline-campaign-debate-on-the-future-of-risk-communication.html

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can support you in any way, with resources, advice or training: either via Kate at Head Office (kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org) or you can contact Brian directly by email via brian@alcoholeducationtrust.org .