I adore the fact that one of the first things Mark addresses in this book is the ‘L word’ – love – and that in our school communities we need to ‘spread it thick, like my mum spreads butter’. For those educators who are uncomfortable with the punitive world of zero tolerance, isolation booths and school exclusions, Mark Finnis – one of the UK's leading restorative practice experts – is here to show you that there is another way. Make sure you change the language around yourself, if you feel you can’t do something or you are struggling add the word ‘yet’ and you’ll be a lot more hopeful.

Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice is one of a number of books in the Independent Thinking On … series from the award-winning Independent Thinking Press. Challenging” behaviours include asking tough questions, sharing responsibility, giving honest feedback and agreeing shared goals.So, if you are not modelling what you are teaching, then you are not really teaching what you think you are. It is full of practical ideas and advice on how to build relationships and create a restorative ethos at whole-school and classroom level. If you are someone who is more familiar with the subject, this is a really helpful ‘go to’ reminder that you can dip in and out of for inspiration. This is no woolly idea, and he provides a cohesive strategy for changing schools towards becoming relational.

Translating his thinking and experience around complex concepts into simple ideas that not only takes peoples brains for a walk, but helps them to translate the content into their context that change individuals and organisations for the better.This may seem to some that this situation is okay, the teacher talks and the students listen, however, respect and fear are different things. If you’re lucky enough to live long enough, you get to an age when you realise you are going to die.