It is important to not immediately share any stories that your students may not be able to access due to their background. Join the inner circle now and be the first to hear about the most up to date developments and exciting news around restorative and relational practice.

What is really important in all this questioning is try to avoid ‘why’ questions, as they often create blame ‘why did you do that? High challenge and high support– the WITH box, students know what to do due to the challenge of the situation, and know how to do it due to the support they have, this does not simply apply to work but also applies to life.He is a true champion of relational practice and shows us how values and cultural development can lead to strong relationships and therefore positive behaviour, of both adults and children. If you would said an obvious ‘no’ to these questions, it is because we don’t have a relationship at all. Thank you to, Parkside School in Cullingworth, where I first met Mark Finnis on a training day as they made the excellent decision to start using restorative practice. From creating ‘circles’ to foster collaborative approaches to actually living your school values, not just displaying them (remember, if your values are on a lanyard around your neck, they’re probably not your values) to dealing effectively with conflict, there are so many facets to Restorative Practice as shared by Mark. In social work this has meant repair of previously stuck and damaged relationships in ways that have enabled meaningful practice to once again occur.

If you feel you might struggle with a student’s name ask them in private if you can about how to pronounce their name, this might feel awkward or uncomfortable for you, but it is coming from a place of wanting to get it right. For any person or organisation frustrated by systems of compliance, assessment, behavioural management and organisational tension, this book offers a way forward. Traditionally, when things go wrong, it’s about looking for someone to blame, determining what rule has been broken and then deciding which punishment fits the rule-breaking.

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. Such an undertaking needs everyone to act explicitly, across the whole school, with these goals in mind.

If someone pays you a compliment you’d them to be specific about what they like instead of saying ‘I like you’. Having people leave your presence feeling better than when they arrived is one thing, but what about helping people feel better just by coming through the door? However, it is particularly relevant to anyone working in Scotland and using the RespectMe framework for addressing and eliminating bullying behaviour, which has restorative practice at its heart. Furthermore, it advocates an approach that is collaborative, empowering and positive - and ultimately geared to improve motivation, engagement and independent learning in even the hardest-to-reach young people. Carlie has also facilitated a variety of mediation referrals for the Police, Corporate sector, Housing Associations and Charity Sector as well as complaints for the Local Authority and in-house as a HR process.It is about elevating the culture of a school or organisation so that people are pulled in, not pushed out, about fostering a greater sense of community and a communal ownership of control and fear, about encouraging a willingness to act in the right way for the right reasons. 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. Mark’s empathy with, and understanding of, the education system means this book is grounded in the real-life experiences in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds and the family home.