Culture

Six months ago I started a CPD course about relational practice run by The Restorative Lab. I'd read a little about the topic before but it all seemed a little "fluffy" to me. I believed students need boundaries and school needs to ensure we teach discipline, particularly to those that need the most support. After all, if you're not being taught how to behave at home then we need to do this - or at least so goes the conventional wisdom. Fast forward to the course and what a change in my thinking. 

If a child cannot read we teach them to read, if a child cannot do maths we teach them maths but if a child cannot behave in the way that society expects them to do so we punish them. We make them sit in isolation rooms or in detention halls and at the end we expect them to be reformed characters. Well, this was mindblowing to me. Of course I do not treat my own children like this yet this is how schools all over the country treat students and there is little, if any evidence of impact. My whole thinking has now changed to a restorative practice-based framework. To be clear, this absolutely does not mean that we lower our expectations but aim to provide an environment that has both high levels of challenge and support. At my current school we now do not have internal suspension for high level events but we educate students in workshops and we no longer have detentions but we have restorative conversations. This is more work for staff but the impact has been so positive that the workload is worth it. We have a long-way to go and I hope to explore the challenges and impact of this work in future blogs. A restorative culture, one where staff and students can make mistakes but then move forward is key for an inclusive, successful school. 

How inclusive is the behaviour system in your school? What does that say about the culture you hope to create?