All behaviour is due to an unmet need, and often the language we might use does not appreciate this. This is made possible because the deep theoretical base for this book’s ideas are covered with a lightness that makes them easy to digest and apply. This has included the City of Leeds, where he has providing consultancy and modelled practice to develop a city-wide approach to Restorative Practices. Furthermore, it advocates an approach that is collaborative, empowering and positive - and ultimately geared to improve motivation, engagement and independent learning in even the hardest-to-reach young people.

When things go wrong, we involve the person who did the deed and those who have been affected in a discussion, and ask them the following questions: what has happened? What is really important in all this questioning is try to avoid ‘why’ questions, as they often create blame ‘why did you do that? High support and low challenge– the FOR box, is where a teacher does things for students, turning a page because a student is on the wrong page. Encourages educators to view death and bereavement as something that can be acknowledged and talked about in school.Get the biggest education stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday with the Tes magazine newsletter. Mark worked with us to introduce the concept of Restorative Practices to a multi-disciplinary and sometimes sceptical audience. In education this is providing new language and technique for a practice of inclusion over exclusion, and that sets and resets the conditions for relationships to work, one to one, one to thirty, across whole schools and trusts.

I’m not offended by your decision, it’s because you care about them, and a relationship already exists. For those educators who are uncomfortable with the punitive world of zero tolerance, isolation booths and school exclusions, Mark Finnis - one of the UK's leading restorative practice experts - is here to show you that there is another way. 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. Your commitment to building and maintaining healthy connections is commendable Mark, keep up the great work!Mark Finnis is an Independent Thinking Associate and one of the UK’s leading exponents of restorative practice.

In Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice Mark sets out key principles and their application, as well as the opportunities and challenges around their use, in this accessible, easy-to-read book. Whilst this book uses examples directly applicable to education, the approach and techniques offered apply equally well to any setting in which relationships can unlock potential. As a Dad I have gained an understanding, and directly used techniques that have enabled me to get my love felt, helped my boys feel heard and for us to approach and unpick what had once seemed impossible obstacles, guaranteed meltdown material. As one of the early, Restorative trailblazers she has been involved promoting and developing different models and applications of restorative practice nationally and internationally.

Greet students with a smile and, having learned their names, use their names, make every student feel that they belong in your class, you want them there and you are pleased to see them. We must involve people in decisions that affect them, listen actively to one another, be empathic, and deal with conflicts and tensions in a way that seeks to repair harm and sustain relationships. I’ve had an amazing day working alongside Rachael Wardell and the leadership team exploring restorative practice through a leadership and systems lense. Mark Finnis is an Independent Thinking Associate and one of the UK's leading exponents of restorative practice.

You will finish this book with the tools to proactively empower your ‘crew’ in school to know themselves, know one another, reflect on their actions, repair relationships responsibly and be better humans. Chapter by chapter the book conveys, with great clarity, both an underlying approach and a series of methods to enact that approach, within ourselves, with our children, our colleagues and across our organisations. Building relationships, improving behaviour and creating stronger communities, which is out on April 30th 2021 with Crown House and Independent Thinking Press.I know that no single approach is the right one, and so I have been trained in a range of relational based models over the years. 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. Carlie originally graduated University after studying for a Drama degree, whilst at University Carlie worked in Prisons which was where she first discovered the power of relationships to transform lives.