Middlesex researchers awarded major grant to evaluate drug education programme

The project aims to help students aged between 13 and 15 who may be more vulnerable to problematic drug use

Middlesex researchers have been awarded just under half a million pounds from a prestigious research institution to evaluate a drug education programme helping students in more deprived areas.

The team of Middlesex academics have been awarded £499k from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to further evaluate the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation (DSMF) programme which has delivered drug education in more than 750 UK settings. This programme was developed following the death of sixteen-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs after he took ecstasy.

The research team from the Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at Middlesex has received three phases of funding from the NIHR Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances.  In the first phase, the academics developed the DSMF drug education programme to get it ready for evaluation. It includes teacher training, a video of the verbatim play telling Daniel’s story, parent and student workshops and lesson materials.

In the second phase, the researchers have evaluated the DSMF programme in 12 schools in England and initial findings suggest that students felt the programme helped them to consider important issues around drug use. They also found parents/carers felt more confident talking to their child about drugs and teachers were positive about the programme.

In the final third phase, the programme will be developed with two groups including students aged 13-15 in deprived areas in Scotland and young people in alternative education settings, namely pupil referral units in London and the South East region who often receive limited or no drug education due to school exclusion.

“Drug use often begins in adolescence when attitudes and behaviours are emerging.  The target group for this project are aged between 13 and 15 when we can see drug use begin and increase.  Although drug education in schools is mandatory, some young people are excluded from school and others living in deprived areas are more at risk of drugs use.  The final phase of the evaluation will focus on these groups of young people who may be more vulnerable to problematic drug use.”

Project lead Dr Karen Duke, a Professor of Criminology and co-director of the Drug Alcohol Research Centre

Middlesex academics want to explore whether the drug education programme changes students’ knowledge and attitudes about drugs and their skills to refuse drug offers.

Professor Duke will be leading this project with Professor Betsy Thom from Mental Health and Social Work.  The research team from across the University also includes Dr Camille Alexis-Garsee (Psychology), Dr Bastien Chabe-Ferrett (Economics), Dr Helena Bladen (Research Fellow) and Abbie Irving (Research Assistant) who has just finished her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, OBE will lead the delivery of the drug education programme for the evaluation.  The research team also benefits from the expertise of Nick Hickmott who is an Early Intervention Lead for We Are With You in Kent and John Woodhouse from the Safeguarding Network.

According to the NIHR, data for the year ending March 2025 shows that 2.9 million adults aged 16–59 reported using drugs in the previous year. This includes around 899,000 people aged 16–24. While many people stop using drugs before their 30s, these figures highlight the need for effective early prevention.

Find out more about the work of the Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash