Professionals
Setting Up A Service
Publicising the service
It is advisable to get the mediators to come up with suggestions for this and give them the responsibility for this. There is the opportunity to involve other parts of the curriculum.
Suggestions:
- posters (get a group to design these, ask art teacher to help with this)
- newsletter (through English class)
- Role play in assembly (ask drama teacher to help with this )
- Website article ( IT class)
It is important to publicise the service regularly with both students and staff.
Sustaining Peer Mediation
This has proved to be one of the main challenges to peer mediation schemes. Once the year8/P6 mediators move on to the next year there needs to be staff to support them. The scheme needs to continue to be publicised.
Mediators should continue to meet regularly, for support and to keep up enthusiasm. They should be given refresher courses.
Evaluating the Service
It is important to keep monitoring and evaluating the service, to find out what difference peer mediation is making and what changed should be make to improve it. It would be advisable if you are about to embark on establishing peer mediation in your school/setting to assess the degree of conflict already in the year group and them compare this following the introduction of peer mediation.