Teacher & school staff information sheet: online survey
What is the Theatre in Education project?
It is a project to learn whether using drama productions - as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economics (PSHE) education - helps prevent young people trying or using illegal drugs. The aim is to understand how drama productions change knowledge and attitudes of illegal drug use and young people’s ability to make informed decisions. Here we inform you about the questionnaire surveys; at a later stage a small number of teachers will be asked whether they are happy to participate in interviews, not long after the performance of the play.
The project is being run by East Sussex County Council, the University of Brighton and secondary schools. It is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
How are teachers involved?
All secondary schools in East Sussex have been invited to receive the drama production, Time Out, in March 2025, as part of the regular PSHE education support provided by East Sussex County Council. To learn about your experience and understanding around drugs prevention education in secondary schools and what you think about the play Time Out we want to invite you to take part in two surveys – one before the production and one after.
What will I be asked to do?
You will be asked to respond to a very brief online survey which will take only a few minutes to complete (2 - 3 min). The questionnaire asks about your role in school, your knowledge of PSHE in relation to drugs, and your views on pupil’s knowledge and understanding of drugs and where and how to get help. The second survey will ask about your thoughts on the theatre production and the impact on you and pupils. We will not ask for information which could identify you (name, birthdate or address). We will ask your role and school but your responses will not be linked to any information that could identify you; role and school name will also excluded from any reports or publications and therefore you will remain anonymous during and after the research.
Who will have access to the survey responses?
The survey will be online, and your responses will be stored on a secure, password-protected database managed by East Sussex County Council and the University of Brighton. Only approved researchers at the University of Brighton and East Sussex County Council will have access to the data for analysis. Schools will not store or receive any copies of the information that pupils share.
How is the information used?
The data 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 up as a report for members of the research and education communities 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. Meaning 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 is voluntary. Not participating or withdrawing from survey is acceptable and no disadvantages will arise as a result of refusing to take part or withdrawing.
Are there any risks?
There are no risks related to the surveys as they do not ask sensitive questions, nor will your responses be linked back to you as an individual.
What are the benefits for me?
There are no personal benefits for you. However, the more teachers involved in PSHE teaching participate, the more information we will have to help us understand the impact of the theatre production. We hope to inform PSHE education based on the findings of the project.
How is my data protected?
To ensure compliance with GDPR and data protection regulations, only data that is necessary for this project will be collected. All information will be stored securely and managed in line with the University of Brighton and East Sussex County Council data protection and information security policies. For further details, please see the privacy notice here: Privacy Policy Teacher Survey
Who has reviewed the research project?
The survey has been reviewed so that it is ethical and carried out professionally. The survey study has been approved by the Cross-School Research Ethics Committee A at the University of Brighton.
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.
What happens next?
If you are happy to complete the survey, please tick ‘yes, I agree’ in the electronic consent form (within the online survey).
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 education programs for young people like you.
