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

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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. Supporting” is about building self-belief, self-value and confidence, and being nurturing, compassionate, empathic and caring.

When a student is misbehaving it can be frustrating, however, seek to understand why, and keep your frustrations inside- you can vent them later to friends or fellow teachers.This may seem to some that this situation is okay, the teacher talks and the students listen, however, respect and fear are different things. A simple positive greeting can have an impact on all the things we want to improve: learning, behaviour and, most of all, belonging. Mike has a passion for restorative practice and is committed to improving outcomes for Children, their Families and Communities. The book clearly identifies the differences between restorative justice and restorative practice and provides scripts, models and frameworks that allow any adult to start working restoratively and approach “difficult” conversations with courage and confidence. Furthermore, if you do things for anyone that they should be doing themselves they will grow used to this, and you’ll be blamed if it goes wrong.

While the content is primarily focused through an education/school lens, the theory and practice described in the book is equally applicable across all disciplines.It’s about using relationships to prevent behaviour incidents, rather than something you implement once an incident has happened. By that I mean that, too often, books on restorative practice lose the practitioner in an academic rhetoric that leaves them unable to see how the ideas can be translated into practice in their context. It is full of practical ideas and advice on how to build relationships and create a restorative ethos at whole-school and classroom level. For far too long the education world has needed a thorough, authentic and expert guide to restorative practice, written by someone who really knows their stuff – and here it is!

What is more, relationships are both simple and hard in equal measure, so it is easy to direct our focus onto the more tangible areas of school life – such as results – and, in doing so, fall into the trap of forgetting that not everything we count counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. When you have to renew your social work registration with Social Care Wales, you can include this as evidence of continuing professional development. In Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice: Building relationships, improving behaviour and creating stronger communities, Mark Finnis shares a practical and inspiring introduction to the use of restorative practice in educational settings.I, for example, am a mad trainers collector, and in school I relate to children over a pair of trainers. A practical and inspiring introduction to the use of restorative and relational based practice aimed at anyone working with children, young people, families and across communities. 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.

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. In Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice he takes you through working restoratively in a way that leaves you wondering why you didn’t do it sooner and why you didn’t read the book quicker! She first became involved in Restorative Justice whilst studying for a degree in Social Policy and Criminology and began volunteering for a project in her local prison, where she discovered how the power of restorative ways of working could transform relationships, repair harm and reduce re-offending. 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. In these times of isolating pupils, he shows us that the way to reduce negative behaviours and communication is inclusion over exclusion and problem-solving over punishment.

These children know how to manage conflict - and that’s because relationships are at the heart of everything their school does. Mark’s personal style of high challenge and high support echoes in dulcet Liverpudlian tones from every page of the book, provoking you to consider your leadership style, your values and what you really want to achieve. This is an exciting opportunity for secondary school senior leaders, pastoral care teams, class teachers and governors to attend a training session which is part funded by Surrey County Council, supported by the Specialist Teachers for Inclusive Practice (STIP) and led by Mark Finnis from L30 Relational System. If you are new to restorative practice, this book is a great place to start as a welcome and timely introduction to restorative practice from one of the UK’s leading trainers.