Violence reduction in schools workshop Session 11: Protecting children – Making the school environment safe "Children don’t learn if they feel unsafe” Violence Reduction in Schools Training Pack PPT 5/6/7

Learning outcomes t In session 11 we will develop the knowledge understanding and skills needed to: consider what is meant by violent behaviour and what effect it has; consider how school climate affects behaviour; look at ways of promoting a safe(r) climate in school. PPT 11

The 5 activities in session 10: Sequence of activities The 5 activities in session 10: Activity 11.1 – Pupil opinion about the role of staff in making schools safe; Activity 11.2 – Exploring resources for teaching conflict resolution; Activity 11.3 – Improving danger spots; Activity 11.4 – Developing support for pupils in anger management; Activity 11.5 – Encouraging assertiveness. PPT 11

A whole school approach depends on:t Factors affecting school safety A whole school approach depends on:t the style and quality of leadership and management practice; the quality of content and teaching in the curriculum; the organisation of social areas; procedures to deal with bullying incidents; pupils building positive relationships with peers and others. PPT 11

4 areas for solution focused development: Ways of improving school safety 4 areas for solution focused development: Physical security steps to prevent intruders and keep students safe – e.g. installing fences and security cameras; Changing adult behaviours – e.g. visitor registration and increased staff patrols of danger spots; Changing student behaviours – e.g. managing strong emotions and safety / assertiveness training. Working with community agencies – e.g. the local police and school transport agencies. PPT 11

Other strategies for improving school safety Examples of approaches proven effective Projects to improve the school environment to make it student-friendly and safe Identifying those at risk of becoming involved in violence, and providing support programmes Whole school anti-bullying programmes Arts projects to help students communicate and raise awareness about school safety Improving the security of home-school transport in partnership with parents PPT 11

Activity 11.2 – A strategy for conflict resolution Restorative approaches in schools: Restoring relationships – repairing harm There are notes attached to PPTs 11.6 -11.10 for further explanation and helpful websites In this session we are going to explore an approach to conflict resolution being used in many European countries .In the UK it is in widespread use both in the youth justice system and in schools. We will look at some of the principles , practices and evidence of impact. Finally we will reflect on this strategy compared to others known to participants. The key principles. This is a process which helps pupils and adults to acknowledge the harm caused by bullying, physical violence, theft, damage............ and to repair that harm. Useful websites to find out more: UK Youth Justice Board: http://www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb The UK National Centre for Restorative Justice in Youth Settings: http://www.transformingconflict.org PPT 11

A restorative spectrum Informal Formal Discussions at the time Full conference Restorative questions: What happened? How did it happen? What part did you play? How were you affected / who was affected? What do you need to make it right? How can we repair the harm? At one end – a full conference The members of the conference are an independent facilitator, the person who caused harm ,the person who experienced harm and any other directly affected people (e.g. parent) . A n initial preparation meeting then bring together The full conference goes through a restorative question process. All then reach agreement about how the harm can be repaired The agreement is monitored over 3 months. But most restorative processes are informal and take place at the time – in a corridor, class, playground and at home Staff, parents and students can use restorative questions and restorative language to help avoid conflict escalating However the most effective facilitation requires several days of training and practice using the five stage process PPT 11

Evidence of effectiveness A survey of restorative justice in UK schools carried out by the government‘s Youth Justice Board in 2005 surveyed the results of 625 restorative conferences: 92% were rated by participants as successful; 96% of agreements were still in place after 3 months; 93% of pupils involved thought it a fair and just process. In England some evidence of the effectiveness of restorative justice was published in 2005 29 schools (mainly secondary but four primary) were monitored over a 2 year period. – see the Youth Justice board website: http://www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/practitioners/WorkingwithVictims/RestorativeJustice PPT 11

Why use a restorative approach? Restorative approaches are designed to: repair the harm done to relationships; consider the needs of all involved; help all participants recognise their responsibilities; make aggressors accountable for their behaviour; Support the development of emotional literacy (SEBS); In summary: Restorative justice can be defined by its fundamental principle, namely that when one person has harmed another, the most useful response is to try to repair the harm done. The restorative justice approach redefines crime primarily as harm or injury rather than law-breaking. Restorative justice in schools aims to reduce bullying and victimisation, manage conflict and improve attendance in schools; research evidence supports restorative justice in schools as a particularly promising approach to improving behaviour and attendance. Restorative justice enables school students affected by bullying, or other serious behavioural incidents, to communicate and agree on how the harm caused by their actions or done to them is to be repaired. When well-implemented, perpetrators learn to understand the consequences of their behaviour and take responsibility for repairing the harm. When this happens victims usually experience the perpetrator’s commitment to reparation which means their fear of re-victimisation is reduced and they are more readily able to put the incident behind them. What children say: “ I was treated with respect even when I had made a big mistake” “ I was listened to , and my dad listened too ” “ I knew that Mrs B would be watching to make sure there were not problems” PPT 11

Session 11: Follow-up activity You are invited to practise implementing some of the strategies for improving school safety by either: using the materials in this chapter to carry out a safety survey of a school; or: planning and implementing a programme of conflict resolution, anger management or assertiveness training to help pupils feel safe. . PPT 11