Restorative Justice

What is Restorative Justice?

Restorative Approaches are inspired by the philosophy and practices of Restorative Justice which aims to repair harm caused to relationships by conflict. Crucially, it is believed that Restorative Justice can be best achieved by focusing on the harm caused, rather than assigning blame and dispensing punishment.

At St Benedict’s, we have adopted many Restorative Justice approaches as they align with the ethos of our Catholic faith. You will see the word ‘Pax’ inscribed on our school logo, which means ‘Peace to You’. We believe that peace and forgiveness come hand in hand with Restorative justice, which in turn lends itself to a harmonious learning environment.

Restorative Language

When pupils find themselves in conflict or upset we will ask them:

- What happened? 
- What were you feeling when it happened? 
- How do you feel about it now? 
- What needs to happen to put this right? 
- What will you do differently next time?

We might also say to our pupils:

- What would you think if this happened to you? 
- What other choice could you have made? 
- How could you make sure this doesn’t happen again?

At St Benedict’s we aim to develop the child’s ability to tell the truth, to take responsibility and accountability, to show empathy and to resolve conflict in a positive learning environment.  We believe this can be done efficiently and effectively by using the Restorative Justice Approaches.