Mediation and Restorative Justice

Longhill School creates a culture where learning, empathy and safety are valued and promoted on a daily basis. We achieve this by making sure that interactions between staff and young people are restorative in nature.

Working restoratively means valuing relationships and working with others in ways that promote respect, trust and belonging. When working in a restorative community, conflicts are resolved through communication and shared problem solving. Everyone is accountable for their actions and the impact of those actions.

The benefits of the approach

Using a restorative approach means focusing on the harm that has been caused and looking at how it can be repaired. When harm is caused, all parties involved have the opportunity to look at how to take things forward collaboratively to repair relationships. This process is supervised and managed by trained and experienced staff in the form of restorative conversations and conferences. Working in this way provides opportunities for those who have been harmed to express themselves and to be listened to. It provides those that cause harm with an opportunity to reflect on what they have done, to see the effect that they have had on others and to then make some kind of reparation. A mutual agreement is then created with the facilitator to enable this.

Our restorative approach provides opportunities for our young people to learn skills in questioning, listening, reflecting and problem solving. It develops empathy, responsibility and emotional awareness. We are proud that it provides a framework for repairing and re-building damaged relationships and that it establishes a learning community where people care about and respect one another.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on our restorative practises, please contact –

George Willett at gwillett@longhill.org.uk

Click below for a pdf with more information of the Restorative Justice process