Teacher and other school staff information sheet: Interviews
About the Theatre in education project
The ‘Theatre in Education’ project has been funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to understand the impact of school-based theatre production on young people’s knowledge and attitudes of illegal drug use and their ability to make informed decisions. The project is led by Professor Jörg Huber at the University of Brighton and David Bishop at East Sussex County Council.
All schools in East Sussex have been invited to participate in the project. Your school has agreed to collaborate in in-depth research, and we are therefore offering teachers and other school staff the opportunity to participate in semi-structured interview with one of our Research team.
What does the interview involve?
We will be collecting information on your views as a teacher or other member of school staff about the Theatre in Education package as well as your perception of pupils’ knowledge, attitudes and experience in drug taking. The information we collect will help us understand the impact the theatre production on pupils and help shape future PSHE education.
You will not be asked to share any identifying information (for example, your name or any other personal details). Likewise, you will not be asked to share any identifying information about pupils. Your identity, and your responses will not be linked back to your school in any reports or publications.
The interview will take up to 40 minutes.
Who collects this information and who will have access to it?
Researchers from the University of Brighton and East Sussex County Council will lead the interview. The data that is collected will be stored on a secure, password-protected database managed by University of Brighton. Only approved researchers at the University of Brighton and East Sussex County Council will have access to the data for analysis.
Although interviews are confidential, any disclosure about drug use, criminal activity, actual or threatened harm against self/others will be passed to school safeguarding lead who will take appropriate action in line with the school’s safeguarding policy.
How is the information used?
The interview will be analysed by researchers at the University of Brighton to understand the effectiveness of the Theatre-in-Education project. The findings may be:
- written as a report for members of the research community to understand the impact of the theatre production.
- published in academic journals or presented at educational conferences.
- shared with schools to enhance future education programmes.
- presented in a short film which will be available to the public.
The data is anonymous. This means that no information will identify individuals in any publications or presentations.
You will hear about the results of the research from East Sussex County Council Public Health. Reports will also be available on the East Sussex Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (www.eastsussexjsna.org.uk) website in autumn 2025.
Do I have to take part?
Participation in the interview is voluntary. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to provide your consent. You can decline to answer any question and should only share what you feel comfortable with. You can withdraw at any time without giving a reason. Depending on when you choose to withdraw we may not be able to withdraw your information since it will be anonymised in the written version of the recorded discussion (using a false name). We would therefore still use the information you have provided up to that point.
How is the data protected?
To ensure compliance with GDPR and data protection regulations, only data that is necessary for this study will be collected. All information will be stored securely and managed in line with the University of Brighton Data Protection Policy and that of East Sussex County Council. For further details, please see the privacy notice at: School Staff Interviews privacy notice
Who has reviewed the research project?
The study has been reviewed and approved by the Cross-School Research Ethics Committee A at the University of Brighton and by East Sussex County Council’s Research Governance Panel.
Contact details
If you have questions, concerns or complaints about the project, please contact Professor Jörg Huber Professor Jörg Huber or David Bishop. You can also contact the ethics committee that reviewed the project, the Cross-School Research Ethics Committee A, and the Chair, Dr Lucy Redhead.
If you need this information in an alternative format please ask your teacher or contact Gemma Faithfull by email or call 07922 574718.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet and for considering being part of this important project. Your input will help improve PSHE education for young people.
