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Life Skills Education Primary - Drug Alcohol and resilience training

  • Young People Taking the DAaRT Primary Programme are:

  • 5.4 times more likely to seek help when needed

  • 3.4 times more skilled around communication and listening

  • 2 times more likely to make safe and responsible choices

  • 2.4 times more knowledgeable about drugs, alcohol and substance misuse


  • Our Graduates are:

  • 5.4 times more likely to seek help when needed

  • 3.4 times more skilled around communication and listening

  • 2 times more likely to make safe and responsible choices

  • 2.4 times more knowledgeable about drugs, alcohol and substance use/abuse

The DAaRT Primary Programme - from as little as £1.18 per child per week.

Informed decision making in the context of risky behaviours

The DAaRT Primary Programme - front and back coverThe DAaRT Primary Programme is designed for Year 5 and 6 students. It is a refreshed and updated version of our successful DARE Primary programme, evaluated by Nottingham University. (Nottingham University evaluation can be found here.)

This programme equips young people with the knowledge and skills they need to transition from primary to secondary school. It helps them develop the social and emotional skills required to overcome challenges.

Our aim is to offer schools a programme that complements their existing work. Our age-appropriate materials are shaped by feedback from customers, partners, and those with real-life experience.  We believe this is the best programme to meet the new curriculum requirements and it links to a broad range of cross-curricular subjects.

What are teachers saying about the DAaRT Primary Programme?

“There has been a noticeable improvement in playground behaviours, with improved levels of conflict resolution without staff intervention. Lunchtime staff noticed that pupils are using techniques to deal with stressful situations amongst themselves, being more sensitive to each other, and not allowing small incidents to escalate.  This is all thanks to Life Skills Primary.”

Head Teacher in Derbyshire
DARE-25 Pre Order Form

Order Life Skills Primary

Min. 17 Children per class with DAaRT Officer, 11 for Teacher Led classes.
Year of delivery
Term of Delivery

Independently Evaluated Download the PDF Evaluation

Quality Standards Monitoring View our teacher feedback

How much does the DAaRT Primary Programme cost?

100% DAaRT Officer delivery
£32.00 per child

We deliver all of your programme.
50/50 Shared delivery
£25.00 per child

We deliver 6 sessions, your class teacher delivers 5.
Teacher Led Plus
£12.00 per child

Plus £124.00 (extra classes are £62.00 each).  We deliver the first session and the graduation.
Teacher Led
£13.00 per child

You deliver all of the Life Skills Primary Programme, we provide workbooks, namecards and certificates.
Place an Order

Why choose The DAaRT Primary Programme?

Life/Social Skills Education is crucial for children’s development. It helps them understand risks, consequences, and the impact of their decisions. This foundation builds resilience and confidence for navigating life’s challenges.

This approach equips young individuals with tools to handle complex situations confidently. By fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills, Life Skills Education enables them to assess risks objectively and develop strategies to mitigate them.

By equipping children with essential life skills, we enable them to make informed choices and assess risks better. Through practical learning and interactive activities, children can analyze situations critically and identify potential outcomes. This boosts their decision-making abilities.

Moreover, it fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability. Children learn to take ownership of their actions and understand how those actions influence their lives and the world around them.

Effective communication fosters understanding and connection. By learning to express thoughts clearly and actively listen, children can navigate social interactions with confidence and respect.

Moreover, empathy helps individuals relate to others’ emotions, perspectives, and experiences, promoting compassion and cooperation. Honing social skills equips children to interact smoothly in various settings, encouraging teamwork, conflict resolution, and mutual respect.

Teaching Methods

To meet all pupils’ needs, we use workbooks, group discussions, role play, quizzes, videos, and Q&A sessions. Before the course begins, the DAaRT Officer will visit and discuss each class’s needs with the teacher. SEND materials are available, and we use subtitled videos as standard.

Key Topics / Contexts

  • Illegal and legal substances including alcohol, tobacco and vapes, and prescription drugs.
  • Hate crime covering difference, prejudice and respect
  • Knife crime includes the law, safety and risks and consequences (links here to bottom of page subjects)

Overarching themes

  • Responsibility
  • Stress
  • Confident communication
  • Resistance strategies
  • Pressure and peer pressure
  • Making good decisions (SKILL Decision Making model)
  • Where to get help / support networks

At the end of the course the children write a DAaRT report in which they can reflect on what they have learned. This is often completed as part of a literacy lesson, with the class teacher.

The DAaRT Primary Programme concludes with a graduation in week 11. Here, children showcase what they’ve learned to invited guests, such as other classes, parents, carers, or funders. Graduations can range from simple to grand affairs and may include reading DAaRT reports, singing the DAaRT song, or performing a play, sketch, or poetry related to their learning.

How does it work?

The DAaRT Primary programme runs over 11 weeks, with the last lesson being the graduation. Lessons last for one hour.  Lessons can be delivered by our specially trained DAaRT Officers, a class teacher or a combination of the two.

Whichever option you decide upon, we will provide all the resources needed for the full course to be delivered, including access to videos, the online presentation and comprehensive lesson plans. For each child there will be a workbook (SEND worksheets are available), a name card, and a graduation certificate.

Before the DAaRT Primary programme begins you will be contacted by our DAaRT Officer who will discuss any requirements for the class and plan how we will work with you in order to deliver the programme in your school. We will agree dates for the delivery of lessons and for the graduation and will offer a parent/carer briefing to enable them to be fully involved in the Life Skills Primary programme and to support their children during the course.

Meet the DAaRT Crew

Cartoon images of the DARE Crew; Josh, Ami, Michael and Darryl

Our programs follow Social Learning Theory of Albert Banduras, where young people learn by modeling the behaviors of their peers. Your students will meet the DAaRT Crew, a group of young people similar in age to them. They appear at the start of each lesson, sharing their stories through short videos and animations.

The class, along with the DAaRT Officer and/or teacher, will work through the challenges the DAaRT Crew faces. Together, they will recommend responsible actions using the SKILL Decision-Making Model.

The DAaRT Primary Programme Workbook

The DAaRT Classroom Rules

Alcohol Information Pages

Role Play Exercise

The Videos

The Life Skills Primary Programme is underpinned by a series of videos, both filmed and animated, that help young people understand the role play scenarios so that they can resolve problems in a structured manor. 

Meet the DAaRT Crew

Jackson has a Problem

SKILL DECISION-MAKING MODEL

Our program uses the unique SKILL DECISION MAKING MODEL to teach young people to make safe and healthy choices. They learn to work through problems step by step, consider options, balance risks and consequences, be responsible, manage stress, and resist pressure. These skills help them become positive, proactive young adults who can adapt to life’s challenges and avoid risky behaviors.

We have many schools who have been involved in over 10 iterations of our primary programme since delivery began in 1995.  Many use our services year after year; this has enabled in excess of 500,000 young people to graduate and learn how to make better choices.

FAQ’s

What is it?

A course developed to help children years 5 and 6 (Age 9 – 11) acquire a wide array of personal and social skills, including:

  • understanding the need to take personal responsibility for ourselves and others
  • effective communication and listening
  • coping by dealing with pressure and stressful situations
  • decision making
  • resistance skills
  • the identification of risks and consequences, particularly in relation to substance abuse

The Curriculum

The programme is delivered over a 10 week period and covers the following subjects:

  • Bullying
  • Peer Group Pressure
  • Use of Social Media
  • Choice of Cannabis or Theft
  • Use of Illegal Drugs
  • Misuse of Legal Drugs
  • Misuse of Alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Choice of knife Crime or Solvent Abuse
  • New Psycoactive Substances

Each week builds upon previous knowledge reinforcing the core principles of the programme.

Delivery

Your school has the option of various forms of delivery; by one of our uniformed and fully trained DAaRT Officers, by a teacher, or a partnership of the two. Delivery options are:

  • 100% DAaRT Officer delivered – including the graduation
  • 50/50 Delivery – 6 sessions by DAaRT Officer, 5 by teacher
  • Teacher Led Plus – First session and graduation delivered by DAaRT Officer
  • 100% Delivery by teacher

If you are based outside the East Midlands and South Yorkshire please give us a call if you want a course involving a DAaRT Officer.

Cost

100% DAaRT Officer delivery £32.00 per Child
50/50 – 6 sessions by DAaRT Officer, 5 by teacher £25.00 per child
Teacher Led Plus – First and last session by DAaRT Officer £12.00 per child + £124 with an Additional £62 for each extra class
100% Delivery by teacher £13.00 per child

Whats included?

Along with whichever method of delivery you choose you get:

  • Full PDF lesson guides with intended learning outcomes
  • Student workbook
  • PDF presentation
  • Videos featuring real children and their graphic counterparts
  • Graduation certificates
  • Name Cards
  • Access to the evaluation tools

How does it work?

The curriculum has been developed in line with current advice and guidance on effective PSHE and drug education in the U.K. by:

  • Using interactive methods
  • Delivery through a series of 10 structured sessions (usually once a week)
  • Delivery by trained facilitators
  • Providing opportunities to practice and learn
  • Addressing perceptions of risks associated with substance abuse, emphasising immediate as well as longer term consequences
  • Dispelling misconceptions regarding the normative nature of and the expectations linked to substance abuse.

Does it work?

Our programmes follow the International Standards set out by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). These standards are promoted and used by mentor-ADEPIS. The results of our Quality Standards survey are here.

An independent study in the City of London was undertaken in 2013 and shows positive outcomes. Nottinghamshire County Council’s D-Vibe data consistently reports improved resilience scores of pupils after undergoing a Life Skills Primary programme.

An independent randomised control sample evaluation of the programme in 51 classes (over 1500 pupils) in September and December 2015 has shown statistically significant improvements in children who took part on our Life Skills Primary programme over those that didn’t. The report written by Professor Tseloni of Nottingham Trent University can be found here.

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