Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice: Building relationships, improving behaviour and creating stronger communities (Independent Thinking On ... series)

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This is an exciting opportunity for eight Surrey primary schools to join a pilot project, fully funded by Surrey County Council and jointly led by L30 Relational Systems and the Specialist Teachers for Inclusive Practice (STIP).

There are simple ways teachers can foster great relationships with their students: greeting them in the morning, saying goodbye at the end of the day, taking the time to learn something new about them, bragging about them to other teachers, and so on. For those educators who are uncomfortable with the punitive world of zero tolerance, isolation booths and school exclusions, Mark Finnis - one of the UK's leading restorative practice experts - is here to show you that there is another way. I am sure that few teachers would disagree that the relationships they have with their students matter, but I know that many feel they do not have the time to invest in them thanks to the stresses of our results-focused system, our crowded classrooms and our overcrowded curriculum. It would be really insulting to teachers to say they’ve never thought about relationships, but it’s about moving implicit practice to explicit.

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I began using restorative and relational based approaches in the late nineties and I have written and organised training for a wide range of Children and Adult Services, Schools and across communities ever since.

So long as we’re able to overlook the damage done to the relationship between the transgressor and the authority; that the students and colleagues who were harmed have been ignored; and that accountability for any sense of closure has placed squarely at the door of the punishment – justice has prevailed. So let’s move on. In 'First Thoughts', Mark lists what this book is about: compassion, behaviour, change, children and young people, leadership, communities and collaboration. However, in my view he has missed something... This book is also about belief! After all, it is said often enough that the quality of a student’s learning cannot exceed the quality of their teachers. But I suggest that neither the quality of the teaching nor of the learning can exceed the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the learner. Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice is a compelling and articulate read, and by the end you are brimming with ideas and love.

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This includes a range of approaches to managing conflict and tensions in a way that repairs harm and mends relationships if and when those relationships do break down. We worked extensively with Carr Manor Community School in Leeds a few years ago, and as a result of embedding restorative practice, attendance rose by 3.5 per cent to 95 per cent, and fixed-term exclusions fell from 162 in the 2011-12 school year to only 14 for 2013-14. So, if you are not modelling what you are teaching, then you are not really teaching what you think you are. Students see whether you are showing warmth and respect toward them and to the other students and adults in your school. Often, they will model their own behaviour after your behaviour, albeit subconsciously. The approach fosters better relationships, which, in turn, lead to better behaviour, but some students will need restorative conversations once an incident has happened. Having worked in the restorative field as a facilitator for a number of years she could see how this way of working could be applied in schools, social care and beyond. Sarah currently works in a Local Authority promoting and developing the use of Restorative Approaches across both Children’s Services and Education settings; to enable colleagues to work with families and each other to create positive sustained change to achieve better outcomes for children and young people. This includes writing and delivering restorative practice training that is bespoke for different settings across the authority. Her passion for all things restorative means that Sarah continues to volunteer for a local restorative hub delivering training and supervising and mentoring other practitioners whilst also continuing to work with people who are involved in the criminal justice system.

We must involve people in decisions that affect them, listen actively to one another, be empathic, and deal with conflicts and tensions in a way that seeks to repair harm and sustain relationships. This is the core of restorative practice.In this book Mark Finnis guides the reader through restorative practice with clarity, insight, real-life examples and clear direction. It is full of practical ideas and advice on how to build relationships and create a restorative ethos at whole-school and classroom level. Deb firmly believes that strong ,established and explicitly maintained relationships are key to any successful team, or way of working. I’m sure that few teachers would disagree that the relationships they have with their students matter, but I know that many feel they don’t have the time to invest in them thanks to the stresses of our results-focused system, our crowded classrooms and our overcrowded curriculum. Ready to take the ESL classroom by storm? Explore our programs in Vietnam, Thailand, China, Cambodia or Poland or send in an application. Most people want to know if the approach reduces exclusions, raises attendance and raises attainment. And yes, we’ve seen schools move from “requires improvement” to “good” and “outstanding” under Ofsted.