CFCEW November 2009 One-Day Workshop
Restorative approaches in schools: developing positive responses to conflict
DATE: Saturday 7 November 2009 (10.00 am - 12.30 pm)
VENUE: Faculty of Education, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge
SPEAKER: Hilary Cremin
Interest in a restorative approach in schools has developed rapidly across the UK in the last few years. Some education authorities and schools in the UK have been enthused by RA, with its basic premise of restoring good relationships where there has been conflict or harm, and developing a school ethos that reduces the possibility of such conflict arising. It can be a means of teaching the social and emotional aspects of learning and of promoting wellbeing and community cohesion. Within the UK's criminal and youth justice systems RA, or Restorative Justice (RJ) as it tends to be known in non-educational settings, has been a growth area for a number of years, especially in diverting young poeple from crime.
Research to date suggests that it is valued by schools as a means of improving the school environment, enhancing learning and encouraging young people to become more responsible and empathetic (eg Bitel, 2005). It also suggests that the limitations of RA result from its misuse based on a flawed understanding of its humanistic psychological and philosophical underpinnings.
Hilary Cremin is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and will speak about her work in developing and researching RA in schools over a number of years and about what she feels are the current challenges and opplortunities in integrating these approaches in schools with the new science of wellbeing.
The fee for this event, which includes coffee, is £20 for Cambridge Forum members, £30 for non-members. Please include your cheque with your application - cheques made payable to "University of Cambridge" and crossed a/c payee.
A booking form is available for download.