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Welcome to our Autumn newsletter, 

As we watch the sad events in Israel and Palestine unfold, we wish for, pray for, support those working for, peace in the region. As the coverage of this conflict is so widespread, we know you may be facing difficult conversations in your classrooms about the situation, and would like to recommend these 3 resources to help: 
Anti-bullying week 13th-17th November

National #AntiBullying Week is Monday 13th - Friday 17th November. The challenge this year is for every child and young person to feel confident to "#MakeaNoise about bullying". For more information, support and resources from the Anti Bulling Alliance, go here.  The week begins with #OddSocks Day on Monday 13th November, where we all wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique.

How Peacemakers can help your school prepare for Anti-Bullying week:

This resource 'Change Starts with Us - taking action against bullying' is for teachers and facilitators educating for peace with children aged 7-11. Inside you will find the tools to be able to create and facilitate an anti-bullying workshop, designed to support the development of children's skills and attitudes. These can be run over the week or as a day event.
Our work with schools this term

We’ve been building relationships with several new schools since the start of the autumn term. We train new peer mediators, run Peacebuilders courses and help schools move to becoming restorative places to learn. Our work this term has included:

  • Peer Mediation Plus in: Causeway Green Primary School, Holy Souls Catholic Primary School, Shaw Hill Primary School, Percy Shurmer Academy, Montgomery Primary Academy, Stechford Primary School, Nishkam High School, Waverley School and Hall Green Infant and Nursery School.
  • Peer Mediation at All Saints C.E. Primary School and Nursery.
  • Learning for Peace at Templars Primary School.
  • Central England Quakers Area Meeting, facilitating the young people's programme.
  • Introduction to Restorative INSETS in Stivichall Primary School and Hazel Oak School.
  • Bespoke restorative mentoring at Beechwood CE Primary School, Hob Green Primary School, Jervoise School, Paganel Primary School, Princethorpe Infant School, The Oaks Primary School and Nursery, The Oval School and Wychall Primary School.
  • Positive Peace Groups at University of Birmingham School.
  • Peaceful Leadership Y12 pilot course at Nishkam High School.
  • We’ve just completed the first 6 months of a 3-year project, to promote peace education in Key Stage 2 (children aged 7-11) within the UK, leading to greater take-up of peace education in primary schools.
Restorative Justice Week
19th-25th November

A restorative approach is based on:

  • Respect – for everyone by listening to other opinions and valuing them. 
  • Responsibility – taking responsibility for our own actions. 
  • Repair – developing the skills within the school community so children and adults have the resources to identify solutions that repair wrongdoings and try to learn from behaviour over time. 
  • Re-integration – working through a structured, supportive process that aims to solve the problem and allows children to remain in mainstream education and adults to be involved in school life. 
  • Relationships – making them, not breaking them. 

What does this look like in a school?

Your first step to becoming a restorative school

Doing simple things to help build relationships - start by doing regular check in/check outs:
  • Ideally, all check-ins take place in a circle. Make setting up the circle part of a class challenge. Assess the characters in your class and positively comment on behaviours both you and the class appreciate during this activity.
  • Check ins can happen every Monday morning and Friday afternoon as a minimum, some schools choose to do them after lunch.
  • Check in/outs last between 5 and 10 minutes maximum. 
  • Adults take part in the check in/out process 
  • If you have children with SEN in your class, discuss with them how they would like to contribute to this process in advance of it happening.  

Check ins 

Talk about something that you are pleased with that you’ve done recently (In school, at home, with friends/whilst playing a game).

How are you today? 

I have a right in this class to... (feel safe, teach, be listened to, not to be put down)  

Today I plan to... 

It’s good to have goals because... 

This week my goal is to... 

What are you looking forward to today? 

Say something positive about yourself 

Say something positive about another member of the class 

Check outs 

How has your morning/afternoon/week been? 

Tell us one thing you liked about school today/this week 

Tell us one thing you learnt today/this week? 

What are you looking forward to tomorrow? 

 What are you going to do straight after school today? 

Thanks to Restorative Leeds (@RPLeeds) for these Check in/outs 
And finally, 

We're taking bookings for the summer and autumn academic terms 2024, please book soon to avoid disappointment.

Bursary funding to help pay some of the cost for our programmes may be available for schools that have not worked with us before.

Spread the word to your colleagues in the West Midlands! 

  • Call the Peacemakers team 0121 236 4796 
  • Email us on office@peacemakers.org.uk 
  • Visit our website here
  • Watch our videos on our Youtube channel here 

We look forward to working with you, and wish you all peace during these challenging and volatile times.


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