Most schools are safe places for children but that does not mean that members of a school community live and learn together in harmony at all time. Violence towards children can take place in a variety of forms, including physical and verbal abuse and bullying. This is a practical handbook for schools to use when training staff in techniques for reducing violence.In particular, it addresses two issues: how to establish and maintain a learning environment where violence is not tolerated and how to respond to violence when it occurs so that this environment is protected.Each chapter covers a critical area for school policy, describes the issues, and proposes activities designed to be combined into a training programme to meet the specific needs of a group of staff. This includes teachers and the growing number of support staff in European schools.School leaders, administrators and educationalists should find this guide a useful addition to the resources for reducing violence in schools available in their own country.
Introduction, Chris Gittens
Chapter 1 - Getting started
Tackling violence in schools: A European perspective
Peter K. Smith
Chapter 2 - Finding out more
The role of a school audit in preventing and minimising violence, Peter Galvin
Chapter 3 - Agreeing and applying policy
Creating a school climate of convivencia through whole-school policies, Julie Shaughnessy
Chapter 4 -What should be taught
Using the school curriculum to support violence reduction, Julie Casey
Chapter 5 - Involving pupils
Developing pupil-led strategies to reduce violence in schools, Helen Cowie
Chapter 6 - Protecting children
Making the school environment safe, Mona O'Moore and Stephen James Minton
Chapter 7 - Supporting school staff
A training framework - planting the peace virus - promoting convivencia, George Robinson, Barbara Maines and Robyn Hromek
Bibliography
About the authors
