At Clonard College, we are committed to nurturing a culture of care, connection and accountability—not just in our classrooms, but across our entire school community. As part of this commitment, staff recently participated in a half-day professional learning session facilitated by Kristy Elliott from Restorative Pathways https://restorativepathways.com.au/. This session focused on deepening our understanding of Restorative Practices (RP)—an approach that supports both relational and behavioural growth in students.
As described by Evans and Vaandering (2016), Restorative Practice is about facilitating learning communities that nurture the capacity of people to engage with one another and their environment in a manner that supports and respects the inherent dignity and worth of all. At Clonard, RP helps us bring this vision to life by embedding values of inclusion, equity, safety, democracy, choice and agency into our daily interactions.
A key strategy in RP is the use of circle activities, which provide space for all voices to be heard and build a foundation of mutual respect and understanding. These activities remind us of our shared rights and responsibilities—to treat others with dignity, to speak and listen from the heart, and to honour each individual’s right to pass.
Restorative Practice is not about avoiding accountability—it’s about approaching it in a way that supports growth. Staff are encouraged to engage in supportive conversations that help students reflect on the impact of their actions, take ownership, and rebuild relationships. This process is grounded in modelling and supporting self-regulation.
During the session, staff explored Dr Bruce Perry’s Sequence of Engagement, a framework for helping students move from regulation to reflection—so they can reach a point where learning from their mistakes becomes possible. A key skill in this process is empathic listening, which helps students feel safe, heard and understood. Staff had the opportunity to practise this skill on the day and explore its power in strengthening connection.
At Clonard, Restorative Practice is integrated into our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) framework. When minor behaviours continue, staff are encouraged to conduct a Restorative Chat before referring a student to Reset. For Major behaviours, a Restorative Conference or Circle may be used—if appropriate—to work through the issue in a respectful and constructive way.
These restorative processes are guided by three simple but powerful questions:
– What happened?
– Who has been affected and how?
– What needs to happen to make things right and move forward with respect?
Through Restorative Practice, we continue to grow as a school community where relationships are valued, responsibility is supported, and every student is given the chance to thrive.
Andrew Damon
School Improvement Leader: Community and Culture
