Restorative Practices Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices Restorative Practices (in parallel with discipline system)(in parallel with discipline system)

St Columba’s High SchoolSt Columba’s High SchoolPilot Phase : April ‘06 – December ‘06Pilot Phase : April ‘06 – December ‘06

Maintenance and Development ’07 -09 Maintenance and Development ’07 -09 Maureen McGlinchey Former Head Maureen McGlinchey Former Head

TeacherTeacher

Restorative Practices PilotRestorative Practices Pilot

• Relationship management strategyRelationship management strategy

• Restorative Practice is an approach Restorative Practice is an approach to offending and inappropriate to offending and inappropriate behaviour which puts repairing harm behaviour which puts repairing harm done to relationships and people done to relationships and people over and above the need for over and above the need for assigning blame and dispensing assigning blame and dispensing punishment .punishment .

The two main elementsThe two main elements

• Individual ConferenceIndividual Conference: offered where : offered where the school considers a significant the school considers a significant amount of harm has been done . amount of harm has been done .

• Whole schoolWhole school : staff offered in – : staff offered in –service training on restorative service training on restorative practices .practices .

• 5 staff have been trained as 5 staff have been trained as conference facilitators and 34 have conference facilitators and 34 have had basic skills training (39/58)had basic skills training (39/58)

Basic Skills TrainingBasic Skills Training

• 3 twilight sessions3 twilight sessions

• Background and philosophyBackground and philosophy

• Restorative Conversations – prompt Restorative Conversations – prompt cardcard

• Engage the person harmedEngage the person harmed

• Encourage taking responsibility for Encourage taking responsibility for actionsactions

• Restorative circlesRestorative circles

Mhairi’s circleMhairi’s circle

• After 2 sessionsAfter 2 sessions

• Impact on class behaviourImpact on class behaviour

Origami ExerciseOrigami Exercise

• If you’ve been on the receiving end of If you’ve been on the receiving end of harm , what do you need to make harm , what do you need to make things better ?things better ?

• When you have done something which When you have done something which has caused harm or upset to has caused harm or upset to someone , what do you need to make someone , what do you need to make things better ?things better ?

• When things go wrong in your school , When things go wrong in your school , how does your school deal with it ?how does your school deal with it ?

Retributive JusticeRetributive Justice

• Rule breakingRule breaking

• Blame or guiltBlame or guilt

• AdversarialAdversarial

• Punish to deterPunish to deter

• ImpersonalImpersonal

• Victims ignoredVictims ignored

• Accountability = being punishedAccountability = being punished

Restorative JusticeRestorative Justice

• Wrong doing or harmWrong doing or harm

• Problem solvingProblem solving

• Dialogue and negotiationDialogue and negotiation

• Restitution / ReparationRestitution / Reparation

• InterpersonalInterpersonal

• Victim empoweredVictim empowered

• Accountability = put things rightAccountability = put things right

Bullying Incident : KathleenBullying Incident : Kathleen

• Taking responsibilityTaking responsibility

• Working within formal discipline Working within formal discipline systemsystem

Facilitators TrainingFacilitators Training

• 4 days followed by regular network meetings4 days followed by regular network meetings

• Restorative ConversationsRestorative Conversations

• Victim AwarenessVictim Awareness

• Support for persons harmedSupport for persons harmed

• Shuttle dialogueShuttle dialogue

• Restorative meetingsRestorative meetings

• Restorative ConferencingRestorative Conferencing

• Restorative CirclesRestorative Circles

Shuttle Dialogue : Shuttle Dialogue :

• S1 pupil sprayed a pungent gas on a S1 pupil sprayed a pungent gas on a pupil from a nearby primarypupil from a nearby primary

• Both agreed to take part in processBoth agreed to take part in process

• Consequences : fear , missed Consequences : fear , missed medical appointments , loss of medical appointments , loss of earningsearnings

• Letter of apologyLetter of apology

Restorative ConferenceRestorative Conference

• Eileen’s StoryEileen’s Story

• Face to face Face to face ConferenceConference

• Preparatory Preparatory meetingsmeetings

• Impact of Impact of ConferenceConference

Community Building CirclesCommunity Building Circles

• To prevent conflict and resolve To prevent conflict and resolve problems within the school communityproblems within the school community

• To develop a commitment to To develop a commitment to community , mutual respect , a community , mutual respect , a willingness to listen to each other , to willingness to listen to each other , to restore relationships etc..restore relationships etc..

• To enable staff and students to work To enable staff and students to work together to resolve conflicts in a win-together to resolve conflicts in a win-win settingwin setting

Community building circleCommunity building circle

• Specific issueSpecific issue

• Paul - FacilitatorPaul - Facilitator

Pupils Views : What is good Pupils Views : What is good about circle time ?about circle time ?

• Helps people feel better about themselvesHelps people feel better about themselves• Helps stop the behaviour and stops people Helps stop the behaviour and stops people

disrupting the classdisrupting the class• Lets people speak their mindLets people speak their mind• Get to say what you feel without being Get to say what you feel without being

worried about getting bullied after schoolworried about getting bullied after school• Gives you a chance to think about all the Gives you a chance to think about all the

wrong things you are doing in class and wrong things you are doing in class and how you can improvehow you can improve

What difference does it make What difference does it make to your class ?to your class ?

• It helps people to understand what It helps people to understand what they have done wrongthey have done wrong

• Should do more of it so people can Should do more of it so people can realise their behaviour is wrongrealise their behaviour is wrong

• We should do it in every class to help We should do it in every class to help improve behaviour in all classesimprove behaviour in all classes

• It helped people to stop misbehavingIt helped people to stop misbehaving

Evaluation : Main FindingsEvaluation : Main Findings

Individuals harmed – satisfied with process Individuals harmed – satisfied with process – helped to repair harm caused– helped to repair harm caused

Persons responsible – realised impact of Persons responsible – realised impact of their behaviour ; took responsibility ; their behaviour ; took responsibility ; agreed an action plan agreed an action plan

Number of staff using restorative approach Number of staff using restorative approach doubleddoubled

Majority of staff considered restorative Majority of staff considered restorative practices to be an effective and more practices to be an effective and more helpful strategy for dealing with incidents helpful strategy for dealing with incidents where pupils had harmed another personwhere pupils had harmed another person

Main FindingsMain Findings

• Pupils did not report a reduction in Pupils did not report a reduction in incidents involving harm although incidents involving harm although teachers reported fewer removals teachers reported fewer removals from classfrom class

• Reduction in exclusions – no of Reduction in exclusions – no of exclusions per 1000 pupils down by exclusions per 1000 pupils down by 24% on the previous year 24% on the previous year

Recommendations and Recommendations and ActionActionSCHOOLSCHOOL• Continue use of conferences and shuttle dialoguesContinue use of conferences and shuttle dialogues• Training opportunities for staff in basic skills and in Training opportunities for staff in basic skills and in

the use of circlesthe use of circles• PSHE – Weekly - Circle time in every class to discuss PSHE – Weekly - Circle time in every class to discuss

issuesissues• AUTHORITY- WDCAUTHORITY- WDC• Set up EA facilitators networkSet up EA facilitators network• Extend Restorative Practices to other schools in WDCExtend Restorative Practices to other schools in WDC• Evaluate longer term impactEvaluate longer term impact