Toolkit for teachers

How should the issue of parental drinking be addressed in schools?

All teachers will, from time to time, have concerns about their students and notice the problems manifesting themselves in the classroom. Often their lack of expertise, time and knowledge of specialist resource causes difficulties and delays in addressing the problem. Children affected by parental drinking feel isolated and different and it would be unwise for a teacher to address the issues with the whole class as the result of a discovery; however it would be wholly appropriate if this were part of an ongoing programme.

The issue affects a large number of children and they should not have to feel isolated or different, as there are likely to be a number of other children in the same position as themselves. Addressing the issue in the classroom lets them know that the problems they face are also experienced by others and that there are ways to help them if they want to seek help. Addressing it as an issue with a group should not lead to identification of the individual student.

There are limited references to the issue of parental drinking in any of the guidelines, other than when it might become a child protection issue or when an incident occurs in school that brings the issue to light. However in many of the key stages it would not be difficult to weave this work into the curriculum and it can be addressed as a single issue or as part of a lesson on ‘how alcohol can affect our lives even when we don’t drink’. The topic can be addressed in a number of ways that allow students to address key skills such as communication; working with others; problem solving; reasoning; enquiry and self-esteem. Thus at any of the key stages this topic can be discussed at a variety of levels.

The teacher can weave this into other areas of the curriculum and it could sit comfortably in the following:

English – Responding to a text where the content of the story is about a child affected by parental drinking or that of other adults (eg Kes)
Drama – role play, life skills and confidence building
Mathematics and Science – graph work on the volume, consumption and metabolism of alcohol
PSHE – social drinking and responsibility
RE – how different religions respond to alcohol. Abstinence as a legitimate method for harm reduction
PE – health education and first aid