About the School Teachers Learning project
Digital Platform for Secondary School Teachers on Adolescent Risk Behaviours
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Strengthening school-based prevention of adolescent risk behaviours
Adolescence is a period of rapid physical, emotional, social and cognitive change. During these years, young people may be exposed to different forms of risk behaviour, including substance use and addiction, violence, bullying and cyberbullying, gambling, unsafe digital behaviour and other behaviours that can affect their health, well-being, school engagement and educational participation.
Schools are in a particularly important position to prevent these problems. Teachers interact with adolescents every day, can identify changes and warning signs early, influence the school climate and help create environments that strengthen protective factors. However, effective prevention requires more than isolated awareness activities or good intentions. Teachers need accessible knowledge of prevention science, practical methods for assessing needs, guidance on selecting evidence-based approaches and tools for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating a coherent whole-school prevention system.
School Teachers Learning was created to address this need. The Erasmus+ partnership brought together prevention specialists, a university and five schools with different geographical profiles and different levels of previous experience in prevention. The project developed, tested and improved a free multilingual digital learning environment that helps secondary-school teachers move from understanding adolescent risk behaviours to taking structured, evidence-based action in their own schools.
The needs identified
The project was based on a European needs analysis carried out before the application was submitted. A survey involving 302 secondary schools in 26 EU countries confirmed a substantial gap between the prevention challenges schools face and the training and practical support available to teachers.
1. 31.52% of the schools participating in the survey reported that they did not have a prevention system.
2. Among schools that already had a prevention system, 33.52% considered it insufficient.
3. 60.30% of teachers had received no training at all on the prevention of adolescent risk behaviours.
4. Among teachers who had received some training, 33.59% considered it insufficient because it was too brief and too general.
5. 86.67% of respondents said they would definitely enrol in free online courses on preventing addictions and other risk behaviours among students.
These findings showed a clear need for professional development that was free, practical, evidence-based and available across national and linguistic boundaries. The project therefore focused not only on increasing teachers' knowledge, but also on helping them understand risk and protective factors, assess their own school context, select appropriate prevention approaches, involve the school community, monitor implementation and evaluate results.
The project's approach
School Teachers Learning was designed as an iterative development process in which scientific expertise and school practice informed each other. The partnership first developed an initial version of the course, evaluation instrument, practical toolbox and digital platform. These resources were then translated into the five partner languages and tested in real school settings.
Ten teachers - two from each partner school in Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Denmark and Lithuania - took part in the trial. They completed the learning and evaluation activities, used the practical resources and implemented prevention activities with pupils. Their quantitative and qualitative feedback, together with recommendations from the Slovenian National Agency, was converted into a detailed improvement plan.
The final development phase used this evidence to restructure and expand the learning pathway, strengthen assessment, add podcasts, visual resources and practical tasks, introduce AI-supported scenarios, improve the school prevention-system tool and redesign the multilingual platform. This ensured that the final resources reflected both prevention science and the everyday realities of teachers and schools.
The School Teachers Learning partnership
The partnership combined two organisations with specialist expertise in prevention and evaluation with five schools representing different national, geographical and educational contexts. The schools were deliberately selected to bring different levels of previous prevention experience into the development and testing process.
INŠTITUT ZA RAZISKAVE IN RAZVOJ UTRIP ZAVOD - Slovenia (Project coordinator)
UTRIP is a Slovenian non-governmental, non-profit research institute specialising in prevention, youth risk behaviour, addiction prevention, health promotion and public-health advocacy. It coordinated the project and contributed its prevention-science expertise to the course, the school prevention-system tool, quality improvement and dissemination. UTRIP also chaired the Project Management Committee and acted as the main contact with the Slovenian National Agency.
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences - Croatia
The University of Zagreb contributed through the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences and its Laboratory for Prevention Research (PrevLab). Its team brought research, evaluation and social-pedagogy expertise, including experience in positive youth development, prevention science and school-based prevention. Within the project, it played a central role in course content, the evaluation approach, the prevention-system tool and the analysis of trial feedback.
Šolski center Rogaška Slatina - Slovenia
Šolski center Rogaška Slatina is a Slovenian school centre combining general secondary and vocational education. The school contributed the perspective of teachers and students from a rural context and brought existing experience of activities related to online safety, healthy lifestyles and other prevention themes. It organised the Slovenian trial, translated and proofread the Slovenian resources and contributed to dissemination and multiplier activities.
Škola za grafiku, dizajn i medijsku produkciju - Croatia
This secondary vocational school in Zagreb specialises in graphics, design, web and media production. It entered the project with limited previous experience of structured school prevention, making its participation particularly valuable for testing whether the resources could also work in schools starting from a lower prevention baseline. The school contributed to the project's visual identity and graphics, organised the Croatian trial and translated and proofread the Croatian resources.
IES Profesor Tierno Galván - Spain
IES Profesor Tierno Galván is a large lower and upper secondary and vocational education school in Alcalá de Guadaíra, Andalusia. It brought established experience in peer mediation, bullying prevention, healthy lifestyles and cooperation with external services. The school led the technical development and redesign of the digital platform, supported the AI-based learning functions, organised the Spanish trial and produced the Spanish-language version.
Ringsted Ny Friskole - Denmark
Ringsted Ny Friskole is an independent Danish school in Ringsted whose educational approach emphasises community, well-being, development and learning through relationships. Before the project, prevention topics were addressed across subjects but the school did not have a specific prevention programme. It contributed an important target-user perspective, organised the Danish trial and translated and proofread the Danish resources.
Vilniaus kunigaikščio Gedimino progimnazija - Lithuania
Vilniaus kunigaikščio Gedimino progimnazija is a large school in Vilnius providing primary and lower-secondary education and promoting health, cooperation and student well-being. It contributed the perspective of an urban school with existing prevention and health-promotion experience, organised the Lithuanian trial and translated and proofread the Lithuanian resources. It also contributed to the project's dissemination resources.
Authors and Contributors
The School Teachers Learning platform was developed collaboratively by specialists in prevention science, education and school practice from seven partner organisations across five European countries.
Authors
The authors were responsible for the scientific and educational development of the project resources, including the prevention content, evaluation approach and School Prevention System tool.
Institute for Research and Development UTRIP (Slovenia)
Matej Košir
Director
Sanela Talić
Head of Prevention
University of Zagreb / Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences (Croatia)
Martina Ferić
Professor and Head of the Laboratory for Prevention Research (PrevLab)
Matea Belošević
Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of Behavioural Disorders
Katarina Serdar Čerpnjak, PhD
Assistant, Department of Behavioural Disorders and Laboratory for Prevention Research
Contributors
The contributors supported the development, testing and finalisation of the project resources through practitioner review, digital and visual development, translation and proofreading, trial implementation, quality review and dissemination activities.
Šolski center Rogaška Slatina (Slovenia)
Dubravka Berc Prah
Principal
Anja Banković
School Counsellor and Teacher
Škola za grafiku, dizajn i medijsku produkciju (Croatia)
Ksenija Palameta Radković
Visual Arts and Graphic Design Teacher
Blanka Šamija
English Teacher
IES Profesor Tierno Galván (Spain)
Rosario Martinez Prieto
Deputy Headteacher
Francisco Javier Chain-Villar
Secondary School Teacher
Elvira García de la Vega
Teacher
Vilniaus kunigaikščio Gedimino progimnazija - Lithuania
Milda Karčiauskienė
English Teacher
Dainius Jurgutis
Physical Education Teacher
Ringsted Ny Friskole (Denmark)
Hannah Kjærgaard
English and German Teacher
Helle Kirkelund
Vice-Principal
Heidi Larsen
English and German Teacher
Project work packages and activities
The project was organised into five connected work packages covering management, initial development, practical testing, final improvement and European dissemination.
Work Package 1 - Project Management
This work package ensured the overall coordination, timetable and budget monitoring, quality assurance, risk management and communication with the National Agency. A Project Management Committee with representatives of all seven organisations met monthly, while three transnational meetings in Spain, Croatia and Slovenia were used for joint design, review and strategic decisions. The partnership also used shared online workspaces and regular virtual cooperation to monitor progress and agree corrective actions.
Work Package 2 - Initial Development
The partners agreed the detailed structure and specifications of the first project resources during the meeting in Spain. They then produced the first English version of the online course, the evaluation instrument, the practical toolbox and the digital platform. The five school partners translated the resources into Slovenian, Croatian, Spanish, Danish and Lithuanian, creating a six-language version ready for target-user testing.
Work Package 3 - Trial Implementation
The first resources were tested in the five partner schools by 10 teachers and more than 200 pupils. Teachers completed the course and knowledge assessment, used the toolbox to plan and implement prevention activities and provided structured and qualitative feedback. The trial was completed by April 2025 and provided the evidence used to identify improvements to content, structure, navigation, practical examples, assessment and usability.
Work Package 4 - Final Development
The partnership transformed the trial findings and National Agency recommendations into a substantially enhanced final version. The course was reorganised into five units and 21 shorter modules and enriched with podcasts, visual materials, practical reflection, module questionnaires and AI-supported scenarios. The evaluation pathway and prevention-system tool were revised, the platform was redesigned and the final English resources were jointly validated before the five national versions were translated, reviewed and proofread.
Work Package 5 - Dissemination
Dissemination ran throughout the project through the multilingual website, partner channels, social media, EPALE, press releases, promotional resources, presentations at external events and dedicated multiplier events. The partnership completed six multilingual press-release cycles, 48 external presentations and events and a full programme of onsite and virtual multiplier activities. The final platform and its resources were promoted to teachers, schools, teacher-education institutions, prevention professionals, public authorities and policymakers across Europe.
Main project results
A free six-language digital platform
The project created a public digital learning environment available in English, Slovenian, Croatian, Spanish, Danish and Lithuanian. The platform brings together learning, assessment, practical implementation tools, good practices and policy resources in one place. It can be accessed on computers, tablets and smartphones and was developed in line with the accessibility and inclusive-language commitments established by the project.
A 60-hour online course for secondary-school teachers
The final course contains five units and 21 modules covering the foundations of prevention, adolescent development, risk and protective factors, school-based prevention, needs assessment, planning and implementation, monitoring, evaluation and sustainability. The modules combine structured reading with podcasts, visual resources, practical activities and reflection tasks. AI-supported scenarios in Units 2 to 5 help teachers practise applying the content to realistic school situations.
Evaluation and certificate pathway
Teachers can check their learning through module questionnaires and scenario-based practice. A final questionnaire confirms completion of the 60-hour learning pathway, after which successful participants can receive a School Teachers Learning certificate that provides a clear record of continuing professional development and can be referred to in a Europass profile.
Tool for Developing Your School's Prevention System
The project produced an editable, step-by-step planning tool that helps schools move from needs assessment to action. It guides users through the creation of a prevention team, identification of risk and protective factors, data collection, priority setting, SMART goals, selection of evidence-based strategies, action planning, stakeholder engagement, monitoring, evaluation and sustainability. A dedicated AI assistant provides additional support while users work through the tool.
Database of Good Practices
The platform includes a Database of Good Practices to help teachers and other education professionals identify transferable examples and evidence-informed approaches. It complements the course by connecting learning with practical prevention initiatives and resources that can inform school-level planning.
Policy Recommendations
The partnership translated its experience into Policy Recommendations for teacher-training institutions, school leaders, public authorities and policymakers. The recommendations aim to strengthen access to high-quality prevention training, support evidence-based whole-school approaches and encourage the conditions needed for sustainable prevention systems.
EPALE Community of Practice
The project created the EPALE Community of Practice 'School-Based Prevention of Adolescent Risk Behaviours' as a European space for professional exchange. It supports continued dissemination and discussion among teachers, prevention specialists, teacher educators and other interested professionals after the end of the funded project period.
Testing, quality and validation
The five-country trial was a central part of the development process. The 10 participating teachers achieved a mean score of 18.3 out of 20 in the knowledge assessment, equivalent to 91.5%, and used the learning and practical tools in activities involving more than 200 pupils. Their feedback directly informed the final redesign.
At the final joint review in Slovenia, representatives of the consortium assessed the four core English results - the course, evaluation approach, prevention-system tool and core platform - at 10/10. The five school partners then completed and proofread the Slovenian, Croatian, Spanish, Danish and Lithuanian versions.
Project impact
Impact on teachers
Secondary-school teachers gained free access to structured professional development that connects prevention science with practical school action. Rather than focusing only on awareness of particular risk behaviours, the project equips teachers to understand why problems emerge, identify local needs, select evidence-based responses and monitor whether prevention activities are being implemented effectively. More than 1,000 secondary-school teachers used the platform and rated it positively by the end of the project.
Impact on pupils and schools
The pupils involved in the trial benefited from prevention activities planned and implemented by their teachers in real school contexts. More broadly, pupils are the principal indirect beneficiaries of the project because better-prepared teachers can create safer, more supportive and more coherent prevention environments. The planning tool is designed to help schools move from isolated activities towards systems based on needs, evidence, stakeholder participation and continuous improvement.
Impact on participating organisations
The seven partner organisations strengthened their capacity for transnational co-design, multilingual digital production, user testing, quality assurance, cross-language proofreading and AI-supported learning. The project also reinforced cooperation between prevention researchers, higher education and school practitioners, allowing scientific knowledge and classroom experience to be translated into resources that can be reused in future training, school improvement and European projects.
European impact
The multilingual platform and dissemination programme gave the project a reach beyond the five partner countries. Contact databases exceeded the planned thresholds for schools, teacher-training higher-education institutions and public authorities. The partnership delivered 48 external presentations and events and implemented the contractual onsite and virtual multiplier programme through 13 sessions, reaching at least 350 onsite and 640 virtual participants. Open licensing and the six-language design make the resources transferable to schools, teacher educators and prevention networks across Europe.
Sustainability and long-term use
The School Teachers Learning results were designed for continued use after the Erasmus+ funding period. The six language platforms and the core resources will remain freely available online for at least 30 years under the sustainability model agreed by the partnership.
The partner schools can integrate the 60-hour course and practical resources into staff development and school prevention planning. UTRIP and the University of Zagreb can continue using and adapting the content in prevention and teacher-training activities, while all partners will continue promoting the platform through their websites, social media, professional networks and relevant events.
The partnership has also committed to an annual online review of developments that may require updates to the materials. This includes monitoring technical performance, external links, AI dependencies, language updates, user growth and the way partners are exploiting the results.
The resources are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). This allows schools, teacher educators and other organisations to reuse and adapt the materials, provided that attribution and share-alike conditions are respected.
Continued dissemination and monitoring will support the project's approved post-project objective of reaching 10,000 users by July 2028. The EPALE Community of Practice, the multilingual platform and the partners' own networks provide channels for maintaining visibility, professional exchange and uptake over the longer term.
A practical European resource for stronger school prevention
School Teachers Learning brings together evidence-based prevention knowledge, teacher professional development and whole-school implementation within one freely accessible multilingual environment. Its central purpose is practical: to help teachers and schools understand adolescent risk behaviours, make informed prevention decisions and build systems that can be implemented, monitored, evaluated and improved over time.
Explore the platform: www.schoolteacherslearning.eu
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