Why me? invites you to join us for the launch of our latest report, The Role of Relational and Restorative Practice in Alternative Provision: Reducing violence and overcoming barriers to learning.

The report is written by Dr. Belinda Hopkins, Director of Transforming Conflict, one of the UK’s leading providers of training and consultancy in the field of relational and restorative practice in educational settings. It includes the findings of her research into the use of this practice in overcoming barriers to learning in Alternative Provision (AP) and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Originally focused upon the issue of violence, the research assumed a wider scope that examined how schools seek to create a safe and supportive environment for all pupils and staff. The report recommends that schools engaged in this task need to develop a cohesive framework in which trauma-informed, relational, and restorative practice is informed by a consistent philosophy. This preliminary study will inform the second part of the project, where Why me? will fund a training and support programme for key members of staff in a PRU to help them move from ‘doing restorative’ to ‘being relational and restorative’.

By attending this event you will:

• Learn how a number of AP schools are using relational and restorative practice in order to overcome barriers to learning.
• Reflect upon the use of relational and restorative practice in your own setting.
• Reflect upon your own experience of violence as a barrier to learning in school.
• Learn how to further develop the use of relational and restorative practice.