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9 IMPLICATIONS OF THE EVALUATION
Towards the end of this evaluation, the Discipline Stakeholder Group comprising the Scottish Executive, teaching unions, General Teaching Council for Scotland, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( COSLA), Association of Directors of Education ( ADES), and advised by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education ( HMIE) responded to a national discipline survey, Behaviour in Scottish Schools,( 2006 )with a joint action plan to consolidate and build upon the Better Behaviour Better Learning (2001) recommendations; and, to include some of the more innovative approaches which have emerged since then.
This action plan includes an expectation that every local authority and head teacher will be expected to use an appropriate mix of new approaches including:
- Behaviour co-ordinators and staged intervention
- Restorative Practices
- The Motivated School
- Solution Orientated School
- Cool in School
The action plan also calls for local authorities to provide leadership and co-ordination and for head teachers to engage all staff in developing and sustaining an integrated range of approaches to supporting positive behaviour in schools.
In addition, the Scottish Executive established a Positive Behaviour Team in 2006 to work with local authorities and schools to introduce and embed positive behaviour approaches and to provide information, advice, support and training.
The pilots will continue to be funded until 2008, and the national Restorative Practices Steering Group will continue to oversee the pilots. So what are the implications of this evaluation for the development of restorative practices in schools across Scotland?
There is a need to:
- summarise and disseminate key findings of this evaluation to all local authorities and schools;
- highlight key issues such as leadership, delegation and integration, whole school approach vs specific or incremental applications, readiness, training and support, and communication;
- continue to share and disseminate information on those LAs and schools which are developing and implementing restorative practices;
- continue to provide support and training for the development of Restorative Practices in Scottish schools;
- consider the levels of support required from local authorities to enable schools to develop and embed restorative practices in terms of leadership, co-ordination, assessment of readiness and provision of training and support;
- develop clear and shared understanding of RP in schools; and, in particular, to articulate the common value base and universality of the approach to develop positive relationships and deal effectively with behavioural issues when they arise and before they arise;
- clarify differences and establish joint understanding with restorative justice and related initiatives;
- examine further links, relationships and compatibilities with other positive behaviour approaches, as well as potential tensions with approaches such as assertive discipline;
- develop practical guidance for local authorities and schools on how to introduce and embed RP;
- clarify the role and involvement of parents with regard to RP to ensure there is a shared understanding;
- maintain links with and awareness of developing practice of RP in related fields of children's services
- consider wider links with children and young people's services, including early years education and services, children looked after and accommodated by the local authority, and youth justice; and
- consider wider links with other current developments such as Assessment is for Learning, A Curriculum for Excellence, and Getting it Right for Every Child ( GIRFEC)
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