Evaluation

The DARE primary programme has been taught to over 270,00 young people since it started and feedback has told us that;

Teacher Feedback

90% of teachers said the course was informative.
73% of teachers approved the DARE Decision Making Model.
100% of teachers liked the role play aspect of the course
73% stated the content was relevant and appropriate.
18% of teachers found the language used throughout the course relevant and appropriate.
45% said there was room for improvement. (addressed)
64% of teachers said the delivery mechanisms were appropriate for the children DARE seeks to engage.
81% found the course content effective.
90% of teachers understood the intended learning outcomes of the course.
82% stated that these outcomes were nearly all or totally achieved.
91% of the teachers stated the course had had a positive reaction from the children.
27% felt the course had been tailored to meet their schools needs. A further
55% felt some tailoring of the course had been done.

Parent feedback

89% of all children taking part on the DARE course took their workbooks home to work on regularly.
78% of parents felt the content of the course was appropriate.
75% of parents believed the course had significantly improved their child’s social and life skills.
98% of parents believed the course improved their child’s decision- making skills.
68% of parents said their child had talked to them about issues on the course.
95% of parents said that their child was motivated by the course.

Comments about DARE 2004-2006

Children’s comments:

I would like to thank you and your team for your great effort and what good it has done for me. I now know about drugs, peer pressure, bullying, what is a good and bad friend and how to keep my body safe. In the DARE course at Eastland Junior School I have learnt a lot for the near future like when I get offered to smoke a spliff, I would just say NO! Or just give them a cold shoulder or just walk away and don’t turn back. I would recommend this course to any one who would like to learn about drugs or how to stop smoking by teaching them what smoking can do to you. THANK-YOU!
Jane.

Dear Daren
Hi I have loads of fun at DARE it gives me a lot of good information about drugs if I do ever get involved I will use your information. And will you say thank you to DARE Officer Cross thanks.
Duncan.

Dear Daren
I have enjoyed learning about drugs and smoking and now I know how smoking and drugs affect your body so THANK YOU.
Karen

Extracts from their reports:

I have learned lots of useful facts about drug misuse and what effects they have on you. It is very important you use them in the right way because otherwise you can die from them.
Emma.

Drugs can change the way your body works. You should never take a drug unless it is given to you by a doctor or responsible adult that you know.
Scott.

The whole DARE project is a very good idea with very good ideas about how to stay out of risky situations. This is very important and has already made a massive impact on me, like walking away from people on the street begging for money to buy alcohol for the local pub.
Rudy.

I know that if I have a problem I can use the DARE Decision Making Model. The D is for Define where you describe the problem, the A is for Assess where you think about what your choices are, the R is for Respond where you make a choice and the E is for Evaluate where you review your decision to see if you have made the right one. I have already used the DARE model on several occasions and I have found it really useful.
Katherine.

Teachers’ comments:

Thank you again for another very worthwhile DARE session! Throughout the ten
week course the children visibly mature and become more independent thinkers.
They enjoy the ‘fun’ element but are able to see the serious side also.

Peafield Lane Primary
This is a very well put together programme which is received well by the children. The shorter programme is improved and has more impact. The DARE officer is extremely effective.

Darley Primary
Parents’ comments:
I think the issues covered are very relevant, and I hope it will equip her in the future, with important decisions, more importantly to make the right ones. By taking part in the DARE course Joshua has raised many debates in our family, which gave us a chance to talk about issues that as a parent I would have found hard to approach.

Evie has shared the DARE work book with us at home. We have all worked and been involved in the DARE programme. I think it has been an excellent learning curve for Evie and at the correct level for her age. She is particularly excited about being in the production. I wish more topics like this could be covered in such an interesting way in school.

The programme has given us a starting point to discuss issues that would not normally come in to conversation. It has enabled my child to think about decisions and helped him to realise that he has control to make life choices. Even though I have talked to Jasmine about alcohol and drug abuse, I found the information Jasmine brought home was useful, especially effects on the body. Overall Jasmine enjoyed it and has gained useful information in the process. Thank you.

DARE has made my son look at things in a different way. He has become more assertive and regularly questions us on the lessons he has gone through in the DARE programme. I personally feel DARE is a necessary part of my sons education.
Thank you.

My son did DARE a few years ago and he enjoyed it and learnt a lot. Now my daughter has done DARE she has looked forward to handing her book back in, and has talked to us about what she has covered in DARE. Thank you for bringing DARE to schools.

My daughter enjoyed the DARE programme very much, it has made her very aware about drugs and the dangers they can cause. I think this was a very good programme for children to learn.

My child seemed to respond well to this course and has found it very informative. Furthermore, it seems to have provided my child with clarification on how to deal with certain situations he might come across in the future.

Before the programme my daughter was unaware of the problems drink and drugs create. DARE has introduced her to these problems in a very informative and controlled environment and I feel it has been a very valuable for her to do. I hope funding will continue for this programme. A brilliant programme, my child talked about what she learnt all the time. Keep up the good work!

This is a very important issue that if avoided could affect the rest of my son’s life. After having completed the workbook he has asked me many pertinent questions about whether I have been offered drugs and how he can turn down a drug pusher. He is adamant he will never ruin his life with the misuse of drugs, so obviously your programme has worked. WELL DONE!

It has made my son more confident to be able to speak out about drugs. He knows the harmful affects they cause. He has really enjoyed this course and I am pleased he has been a part of it. Thank you very much.

DARE Evaluation Statistics 2006-2007- Key Findings

Teacher Feedback

98% stated the content was relevant and appropriate.
78% of teachers found the language used throughout the course relevant and appropriate.
96% of teachers approved the use of the DARE Decision Making Model and believed the programme provided new and relevant information.
96% also believed the course helped to develop life skills, including, managing pressure from different sources, and decision-making.
8% added their own comment that they felt the children’s respect for others had developed.
96% believed the range of substances covered in the course, met the needs of their children.
74% of teachers said the delivery mechanisms/range of activities were appropriate for the children DARE seeks to engage.
80% said the activities could be adapted to use with children with a variety of learning needs. Some teachers commented that there needed to be more activities for children with SEN.
98% of teachers understood the intended learning outcomes of the course.
84% stated that these outcomes were nearly all or totally achieved.
92% of the teachers stated the course had received a positive reaction from the children.
80% felt the course had been tailored to meet their schools needs. A further
12% felt some tailoring of the course had been done.
100% of teachers firmly believed the children felt confident in discussing the issues covered in DARE, during their PSHE sessions.
84% strongly agreed that children’s skills, knowledge and attitudes had been sufficiently challenged and developed.
84% believed attitudes had positively changed as a result of the DARE course and 6% felt attitudes had maybe changed.
90% of teachers have been able to use DARE to support their PSHE curriculum, with 4% not having had the opportunity to do so, due to time restrictions within the classroom.

Parent feedback

80% of all children taking part on the DARE course took their workbooks home regularly.
87% of parents felt the content of the course was appropriate.
91% of parents believed the course had significantly improved their child’s social and life skills.
95% of parents believed the course improved their child’s decision- making skills.
87% of parents said their child had talked to them about issues on the course.
93% of parents said that their child was motivated by the course.

Comments about DARE 2006-2007

Extract from the children’s reports:

I have learnt that anti-social behaviour can be very upsetting to other people, for example youngsters hanging around shops can worry people. DARE has shown me that I need friends that trust me and I can trust them. My friends need to be respectful to me, and sensible and caring. I also need to be kind and caring to my friends.
Alex.

Teachers’ comments:

The children thoroughly enjoy the DARE programme and through the homework activities they discuss issues at home. I have had many favourable comments from parents. The children really enjoy the graduation and put a lot of effort into making up poems, songs and sketches to perform. Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Newark.

DARE Officer Severn is excellent. Her manner, professionalism and relationship with the children is spot on. Please can we have her next year?
Bramcote Hills Primary School.

There were different styles of teaching that enabled children to discuss, create roleplays, answer questions, BUT, perhaps there could be more opportunities for investigative work?
Attenborough Prep.

DARE Officer Graham put a lot of effort into his relationship with the children and was rewarded with them being very interested and motivated. The children remembered what they had learned well, and made references to it in other lessons. The course was again, very well presented by DARE Officer Graham. He enthused he children and they felt they could ask questions. This work fitted superbly into PSHE lessons and the school’s bullying policy.
John Blow School.

As always-an excellent course! The children have been well-motivated and listened intently in lessons, thanks to the enthusiastic and informative way that the content has been delivered by Kathy Cross. The only point to make is that it is difficult to fit some of the content into the allotted time, in particular the lesson on alcohol.
Hempshill Hall Primary School.

You could do with another course that is aimed at children with SEN!
Newark Orchard Special School.

An excellent course. The group were totally motivated by the experience. Tutor was an excellent communicator, very important for children with special needs/learning difficulties. Now needs a follow up with more information.
Foxwood.

What a wonderful DARE Officer; treated pupils like the mini adults they are, using lots of humour and real life examples. They thoroughly enjoyed the programme and will really miss their officer (Officer Buckberry).
Positive DARE Officer, friendly, got to know the children. I’ve done the course 5 times now and I like this version the best.
The King’s School.

I would like to add that John Watts is an excellent DARE Officer. He brings a balance of humour and seriousness to his lessons. He has a fantastic relationship with the children.
Glenbrook Primary School.

Parents’ comments:

This is an important and valuable addition to what we as parents are able to teach our children at home. Thank you very much for this programme. I think the DARE programme is a good idea and we have discussed points raised at home. It gives the children ideas about how to deal with difficult issues, which they may not appreciate yet, but are useful life skills to have.

DARE is an excellent programme; keep doing it. I learned a few things myself. Very impressed with how it was managed and approached. DARE Officer Cross has a fantastic rapport with the children. I hope she doesn’t retire from Hempshill. Police officers should appear more in schools, maybe to deal with antisocial behaviour, as this is becoming a major problem in life.

My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed the programme. She has spoken enthusiastically about its content and we have been able to discuss the issues raised, at home, together. I was pleasantly surprised at the maturity of her opinions and responses and feel that it has given her a sound basis upon which to make sensible decisions in the future.

An excellent programme which my son has thoroughly enjoyed. It is a good way to open discussions about the subjects covered and he has always had a good understanding when we chatted. We have talked through how he would handle situations and he has used the things he has learned in DARE, to decide what he might do.

Our daughter took part in the DARE programme two years ago. She puts into practice what she learnt, which is invaluable now she is at secondary school. The DARE programme was good for my son, as he has had direct dealings with some of the issues found in the DARE course. The course has helped him to understand and deal with those problems. Thanks.

Thoroughly enjoyed the DARE programme. Learnt a lot through it. Only a shame that it can’t become a major part of the curriculum. I think it is a very valuable course to have in school. It is taught very well, and at the
correct age. It encourages children to think about their actions and gives them valuable information, which otherwise they may not receive from such a reliable source.

I would like to congratulate DARE on the work it does with the children, to inform them about the dangers they could face now they are growing older. I sincerely believe my child has taken in to account the full extent of what you have taught her, leading her to make the correct decisions, as she gets older. Please keep up the good work.

The content and the layout of the book is very good. My son has enjoyed learning about the various topics whilst understanding how serious they are. I think he really liked DARE Officer Buckberry. He is looking forward to his DARE graduation. Overall a very worthwhile programme.