Initiative will curb exclusions (From Gazette Series)

Initiative will curb exclusions

PUPIL offenders and their victims are to be brought together in a new initiative aimed at reducing exclusions in Gloucestershire secondary schools.

The county council is one of the few local authorities in the country taking this initiative out to all mainstream secondary schools.

The council chose national Anti-Bullying Week this week to launch of the innovative Restorative Justice in Schools programme, being offered to schools from January.

The initiative, funded by the council, has already proved successful in tackling bullying in schools and will also tackle a range of problems which could lead to exclusion, including bullying, truancy, inter-pupil and teacher-pupil conflict. Under the scheme, teachers, support staff and governors will liaise with pupils involved in conflict, asking four key questions:

* What happened? * Who was affected? * How can we put it right? <sum> How will future choices be affected? <sum> Teachers will have a number of different options available to them, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

The most significant of these is a family group conference, in which the 'offender', 'victim' and supporters of both are brought together by a trained facilitator to talk through the problem and discuss how it can be put right.

Other options include mediation circle times and peer mediation.

The introduction of Restorative Justice in Schools in Gloucestershire follows the success of pilot schemes in other parts of the country.

All secondary schools are being invited to take part in three-day training programmes which will run from January to December next year. Project manager Mary Holland hopes everyone from school governors and teachers, to support staff like lunchtime supervisors and the pupils themselves will be involved.

She said: "When people take responsibility for what they have done it is much more effective in stopping them from re-offending than a punishment. "Restorative Justice will make schools a safer place to be, where everyone can feel valued and their views listened to."

Portfolio holder for education and young people Cllr Charmian Sheppard said: "Exclusion doesn't just affect excluded pupils, but also their families and the wider community.

"Research shows that excluded young people are more likely to become involved in crime and less likely to move into employment when they reach school leaving age.

"Restorative Justice works by encouraging those who have caused harm to acknowledge the impact of what they have done and giving them the opportunity to make amends."