The Principles of Restorative Practices in school:
- Focuses on fixing up what has gone wrong
- Looks at the needs of the person who has harmed and the person who has been harmed
- Uses a process that allows all people involved to say how they feel
- Gives children a say in what needs to be done as a follow up
A typical restorative session would ask the following questions:
What happened?
Who is involved?
What harm has been done?
How do you feel about this?
How can we make it right?
As teachers and adults involved in the lives of students, we need to be role models of this approach in everything we do. Our body language, facial expressions, tone of voice will all send clear messages to our students as to how much we believe in this approach and want to help and support them with seeking ways they can put things right.