A restorative school is one which takes a restorative justice approach to resolving conflict and preventing harm.
Restorative approaches enable those who have been harmed to convey the impact of the harm to those responsible, and for those responsible to acknowledge this impact and take steps to put it right.
Restorative approaches refer to a range of methods and strategies which can be used both to prevent relationship-damaging incidents from happening and to resolve them if they do happen.
Restorative justice implementation often includes peer mediation in which a neutral third party assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques.
Becoming a restorative school has many benefits, including increased attendance, reduced exclusions and improved achievement.
It can also alleviate problems such as bullying, classroom disruption, truancy and poor attendance, antisocial behaviour, and disputes between pupils, their families, and members of staff.
To be effective, restorative approaches must be in place across the school. This means all pupils, staff (including non-teaching staff), management and the wider school community must understand what acting restoratively means and how they can do it. As a result, restorative schools adopt a whole-school approach to restorative methods.
There is good evidence that restorative practice delivers a wide range of benefits for schools.
A report published by the Department for Education gave whole-school restorative approaches the highest rating of effectiveness at preventing bullying, with a survey of schools showing 97% rated restorative approaches as effective.
An independent evaluation of restorative justice in Bristol schools found that restorative justice improved school attendance and reduced exclusion rates.
In Barnet, an evaluation by the local authority found a reduction in exclusions of 51% in restorative justice trained schools compared to a 65% increase in exclusions in the thirty two Barnet schools that have received no restorative justice training. They also found increased confidence among school staff to deal with bullying and conflicts in the school.
Restorative Justice 4 Schools
We are one of the leading restorative approaches or restorative practice training providers in Britain. At Restorative Justice 4 Schools we specialise in providing bespoke restorative approaches training packages to all areas of education wishing to implement and develop a restorative approach to behavioural management.
Many schools are turning to restorative approaches also known as restorative practice to create a harmonious learning environment where pupils are able to self-regulate their own behaviour and learning. Restorative approaches have been found very effective in improving behaviour and learning in both a primary and secondary setting where implemented as a whole school approach.
Restorative approaches are based on four key features:
- RESPECT: for everyone by listening to other opinions and learning to value them
- RESPONSIBILITY: taking responsibility for your own actions
- REPAIR: developing the skills within our school community so that its individual members have the necessary skills to identify solutions that repair harm and ensure behaviours are not repeated
- RE-INTEGRATION: working through a structured, supportive process that aims to solve the problem and allows young people to remain in mainstream education.
National Centre for Restorative Approaches in Youth Settings
Transforming Conflict has been pioneering relational and restorative approaches in school settings, childrens’ homes and in the arena of social care, housing and youth justice since 1994.
We offer training and consultancy to people (staff teams and individuals) who want to engage in a more caring, considerate and respectful way and who want to be treated themselves in this way.
Our training and support will help people at a personal, as well as a professional, level to deal more effectively with their own conflicts and challenges and to help others to do so.
All our training – in its content and its delivery – is inspired by the philosophy and principles behind Restorative Justice and we are also great fans of NonViolent Communication, originally developed by Marshal Rosenberg.
Belinda Hopkins is the Director of Transforming Conflict. She pioneered the application of restorative principles in school settings in the UK in the late 1990’s and created the first training course in restorative skills developed specifically for teachers.
Belinda is one of the most published authors in the world in the field of restorative approaches in both schools and care. Her pioneering books are internationally acclaimed.
In order to remain at the cutting edge of developments in the field Belinda spent six years researching the experiences of those who have been implementing restorative approaches in their schools. The results form the first doctoral thesis in this field, completed in 2006 at the University of Reading.
In 2013 she became an accredited practitioner and this has now been updated by the RJC until 2016. Belinda maintains her practice base by volunteering for West Berkshire’s Restorative Justice Service.
Restorative Justice Council page on restorative schools
Further reading about restorative practice in schools: