Restorative Practice
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board believes that everyone has the right:
- to be safe
- to feel safe, welcome and included at school, and
- to be treated with respect, dignity and humanity.
We believe everyone in our school community plays a part in achieving these goals. Restorative practice offers an effective approach to teaching, learning, and keeping schools safe. It is a way of thinking and acting as a community. It focuses on strengthening relationships, and deals with conflict or tension positively.
What is Restorative Practice?
Restorative practice is firm and fair, seeking answers to specific questions to identify what happened when things go wrong between individuals, and to build positive responses.
Benefits of Restorative Practice in Schools
Schools using restorative practice report a safer learning environment where students are more connected to one another and to staff, and where they are free to focus on improving achievement. KPR schools have used it successfully to prevent or respond early to issues such as bullying or cyberbullying before they reach the problem stage.
What Does Restorative Practice Look Like in Schools?
In schools, restorative practice may include peer mediation, with older students helping younger ones to solve problems; informal classroom circles, with teachers and students discussing and resolving concerns; and more formal family group conferencing, where students who have caused harm are held accountable for the effects of their actions. Restorative conferences allow the victim to have a say in how the harm should be repaired and encourage the person who caused the harm to take responsibility and “make it right”.