Healthy learning environments for young people are underpinned by respectful relationships. Unfortunately, Australian students who do not form reasonable relationships with peers and staff are unlikely to benefit from being at school. These students tend to disengage and are often excluded. However, a growing number of Australian schools have…

What scope is there for teachers to purposefully deviate from their routine classroom practice in order to respond to disengaging students? A case study of a small provincial school in Australia shows an example of alternative pedagogy used in response to a disengaged group of young adolescents. The students temporarily engaged with a different…

Restorative methods seek to address problems by working with youth rather than doing things to them or for them. While individual teachers use such methods, a restorative school requires a consistent whole school approach. This article describes core principles for building restorative schools being implemented by Marist Youth Care in Sydney,…