Schools

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES IN Schools

Which Schools?

The CSC Restorative Practices Project recognises that a restorative school focuses on the importance of relationships for maintaining emotional wellbeing, resolving conflict and preventing harm.[3] We promote the ideal that Restorative Practices in schools are based on restorative justice principles concentrating on:

Building classroom communities that are supported by clear agreements, authentic communication and specific tools to bring issues and conflicts forward in a helpful way. They provide specific pathways to repair harm by bringing together those affected by misbehaviour into dialogue to address concerns, achieve understanding and come to agreement about setting things right[4]

Restorative Practices support in schools is based on the premise that:

The more young people feel included, respected, encouraged and challenged appropriately the more they will learn and the less they will choose to engage in anti-social or disruptive behaviours.[5]

Restorative approaches are not merely viewed as a way of responding to negative or challenging behaviour, they are embraced as a way of teaching and promoting pro-social behaviours in the context of relationships.

The journey of embedding and nurturing restorative practices in our schools is a long one and the CSC project embraces the concept of a “whole school approach’ where restorative practices are part of the day-to-day norm and culture of every classroom and teacher. Working together with schools on an individual basis the project supports schools to cultivate their own strategy for working towards a whole school approach.

The project is also supporting schools and community groups to identify ways that they can support each other in “joining up the restorative dots” in order to strengthen and support children’s and young people’s experience and understanding of Restorative Practice.

One example of this has been where a community project working with young children at risk of early school leaving has supported a local primary school to introduce restorative practices to a group of sixth class students who will be starting post primary school in September. As part of this programme a teacher and Schools Completion Project Worker (who have both been trained in Restorative Practices) were invited to one of the sessions to begin to build restorative relationships in advance of their transfer to post primary school.

[2] Transforming Conflict: The National Centre for Restorative Approaches in Youth Settings, Supporting staff team work with vulnerable people
[3] Restorative Justice Council. (2014), How to become a Restorative School, London
[4] Centre for Restorative Process. (2013). Introduction to teaching restorative practices with classroom circles. San Francisco
[5] Hopkins, B. (2011). The Restorative Classroom: Using Restorative approached to foster effective learning.

Ardscoil Mhuire
Ardscoil Mhuire is a Catholic school for girls located on the banks of the Shannon in Corbally, Limerick. The school community aims to provide a holistic education in the Catholic tradition, to foster our pupils` intellectual, human, cultural and spiritual potential to the maximum, enabling them to develop as mature, responsible individuals.

Coláiste Mhichíl - CBS
Coláiste Mhichíl, CBS Sexton Street is an all-boys voluntary secondary school in the heart of Limerick City, under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST). It serves a community of 440 children from all over the city. The school has 36 teachers. The school implements Restorative Practices to resolve any issues in a calm and respectful manner. Read more here

Presentation Secondary School
Presentation Secondary School is an all girls school.The primary aim of our school is the pursuit of academic excellence. We seek to develop the full potential of each person; intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, physical and creative. To achieve this the school strives to provide an educational environment suited to the needs of each individual.

St. Nessan's Community College
St. Nessan's Community College is a non-denominational, co-educational school. We are
committed to maintaining an educational environment where the growth, learning and development (Fás, Foghlaim, Forbairt – school motto) of our students can flourish.

Salesians Secondary School
The Salesian Secondary School ethos facilitates the human, Christian and academic development of our students, encouraging a keen sense of self-worth. Mutual respect, co-operation, natural justice, encouragement and positive affirmation are core features of this ethos. We are committed to the personal growth of each student in knowledge, truth and goodness.

St. Enda’s Community School
St. Enda's is a multidenominational school providing a caring, safe and disciplined environment in which children will be challenged and supported to reach his/her educational and personal potential.