Restorative Practice [RP] is a practical way of building and maintaining positive relationships in our school community.
RP is values based and in our school our RESPECT values (Responsibility, Empathy, Safety, Pride, Excellence, Cooperation and Truth) guide our expectations about student behaviour and achievement. Developing good relationships promotes a safe atmosphere that allows effective learning to take place.
There is a Restorative Practice Team in the school that provide opportunities for Restorative Practice Training throughout the year and are available to support staff who would like to use RP in their day-to-day practice. We offer a ‘Restorative Café’ for students on Monday lunchtimes to share the key ideas of RP and provide a safe listening space for students. We also offer an Introduction to RP Session for parents throughout the year.
We have a community focus working with local schools to build connection and develop our practice through mutual training and communities of practice.
RP helps to develop skills which can help us in a variety of ways including:
- Developing empathy to better understand each other and ourselves
- Communication skills – to actively listen to others, and be able to communicate in a way that is clear, non-confrontational and solution focused
- Responding to issues in calm, consistent and supportive manner
- Developing better self-awareness
- Skills to resolve conflict in a way that explores the harm done, and the actions that need to be taken to repair the harm, rather than focusing on blame and punishment
- To find the balance between supporting and challenging people to be their best selves.
Our ‘Getting Started with Restorative Practices’ course ran in September/October with 24 teachers from Newbridge College and local schools.
Our students attending the first National Restorative Practices Ireland Conference in November 2023 with key note speakers Tim Chapman and Mary Corcoran. We were proud to host this significant development in Restorative Practices here in the College.
Restorative Café runs on Monday lunchtimes.
Our First Years forming a great restorative circle during their Wellbeing Walk.
One of our regular RP Communities of Practice with teachers from local schools in Naas, Newbridge and Kilcullen.