How do restorative approaches

benefit my child and school?

• Help develop a happier and more harmonious

   environment where the focus is on learning, not conflict

• Encourage young people to recognise harm caused

   and resolve their own conflicts in an appropriate and

   supportive way

• Allow children and young people to develop strong

   conflict resolutions skills, learn about their behaviour

   and it’s affect on others

• Allow schools to become solution focused, concentrate

   on teaching, keep young people in school where they can

   support them to change inappropriate behaviour in a way

    that is fair and safe for everyone

 

The Bridge Education Centre uses a process called Restorative Approaches to improve behaviour. The following information outlines how this process works.

 

Your child may be invited to attend a Restorative Justice Conference to resolve a conflict that they are having at school – this could be done face to face in school or remotely via phone.

 

This is a meeting with those involved to:

• Discuss what is happening

• Look at who has been affected

• Decide how it can be resolved

• Find a way forward that avoids resentment in a way that is fair to everyone

 

To ensure that those who have been engaging in poor behaviour can be held accountable they will be expected to take responsibility for their actions before the meeting starts. This allows the school to:

• Support those engaging in harmful behaviour so they are able to change that behaviour in a way that also holds them fully accountable

• Normally during a conference, a contract is made which will list the actions that people need to agree on and carry out for the conflict to be resolved. Someone within the school will monitor this agreement to see that everyone is keeping to it

 

You may also be invited to attend the conference if it is felt that it would be useful for your child if you were there. Restorative Justice Conferencing is not new. Many schools have used it for over 20 years and has already proven to enable schools to improve their behaviour. We may also use restorative conversations, restorative rules for lessons and classroom conference.

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Schools which have adopted this approach have found that they have been able to:

Reduce – Exclusions/detentions, Disruptive behaviour, Conflict, Bullying

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Improve – Behaviour, Learning, Attendance

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Develop – Truth telling, Responsibility, Accountability, Empathy, Emotional Literacy, Conflict Resolution Issues, Positive Learning Environment

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When faced with conflict or upset, our first response will be:

What happened? What were you thinking at this time? What do you think now? Who has been affected by this and how? What needs to be done to put this right?

 

Other examples of restorative language are:

We need to discuss what’s just happened. What would you think if this happened to you? When you did that, what were you trying to achieve? What do you think you achieved? What could you do differently next time so you achieve your goals without upsetting others?

 

For more information on our Restorative Justice approach, please contact either Ms Lash or Ms Cummings.