Conflict is inherent in schools. It can be positively beneficial. It can also be downright destructive.
Disruptive disputes can quickly become a time-consuming, and unhealthy, distraction.
We can help you understand conflict. And we can help you resolve it. Quickly and empathetically.
Understanding conflict
Schools rely on a network of collaborative relationships to function effectively. Staff, senior leaders, governors, parents, pupils and the community beyond the school gates all interact, support, test and challenge each other.
Positive conflict within and between these groups can be extremely beneficial. Little would change without question or challenge. And if disputes emerge, they're generally resolved through talking, listening and compromising. But sometimes they get stuck. In a busy term, negative conflict can become a distraction, destructive and potentially costly - to well-being, to reputations and to resource.
Resolving conflict
If conflict crops up, don't let it fester.
What might start as a simple misunderstanding can quickly escalate. Emotions become heated. The conflict gets embedded. The parties become increasingly entrenched in their positions and colleagues may pile in and take sides. Help is needed to move things on.
Staff may be outstanding teachers but be short on experience as line-managers. Senior leaders may not have the time, perceived neutrality or capacity to nip the dispute in the bud. Someone needs to help the parties find a way out, and quickly, before the poison festers. An independent mediator can get them talking constructively, and in the process help both resolve the dispute and rebuild the underlying relationship.
About mediation and conflict resolution
Mediation is a structured, 'light touch' way to resolve conflict. It can sit alongside formal school grievance and complaints procedures as a quick, informal and emotionally healthy means of resolving dispute and rebuilding relationships. It can work among or between any of the groups forming part of the school community: parents, staff, pupils, governors, volunteers, neighbours.
Mediation helps build dialogue. Instead of being forced down an adversarial route, where the parties are faced with a ruling on 'rights' and 'wrongs' and little may be done to improve understanding, mediation apportions no fault or blame. `Instead, with the help of an independent and neutral mediator, the parties involved find a way forward that they both agree and buy in to. Nothing is imposed by a third party. Nothing is ruled on or arbitrated. They are in control. Their discussion remains confidential.
What it is: Mediation relies on voluntary input, an impartial mediator and confidentiality. With these in place the structured process can tackle communication issues, repair broken relationships and resolve organisational differences or personality clashes. It works for workplace conflict. It works for community conflict. It works for conflict between generations. It gets people talking, constructively, about better ways of working. Conflict can be sorted in a matter of hours.
What it isn't: Mediation can't work miracles. If someone feels forced to mediate, or the issue is deeply entrenched, it may not be able to help. Instead, individuals can be separately coached to find solutions to manage conflict. Conflict coaching helps individuals think through the specifics of a conflict, consider options and plan action.
Conflict awareness training
can help create an environment where attitudes to conflict and the issues triggering conflict are better understood, and so conflict is less likely to become entrenched.
Our Services
Mediation
The service includes an initial briefing between the mediator and the referrer (phone or zoom), the mediator's initial meetings with each party, held separately to fit around their timetables (zoom or in person); if then appropriate, a joint meeting is held, typically completed in under half a day (ideally in person), with follow up by phone a month later. Everything remains confidential at each stage unless the parties choose to share any agreement.
Conflict coaching
Conflict coaching uses a framework of solution-oriented principles to help individuals navigate conflict. A one-to-one session, of typically 1-2 hours (by zoom or in person) will provide the space to download the aggravating issues, help disentangle problems from personalities, consider options and plan action - reducing stress, and saving time and energy.
Dialogue facilitation
An alternative, flexible route to building dialogue where groups of stakeholders may be in dispute - for example a department or group of parents. The mediator facilitates the safe space for them to share their views, hear others' views, and gain a deeper understanding of the situation. The main objective is understanding, rather than agreement.
Training
Conflict awareness training can be provided as inset for staff or as short modules for middle or senior leaders or governors. Topics can include communication, conflict, complaints and creating a positive environment for resolving conflict.
Consultancy
Advice and support for governors and senior leaders on understanding conflict, managing complaints, disputes and school communication.
School fees disputes
Commercial mediation services are available for school fee disputes or disputes with service providers.
Fees: we aim to ensure our conflict resolution services represent genuine value for money when measured against the leadership time and potential costs of disruption in managing dispute. For a mediation, a ballpark figure would be £500-£900 but estimates will be provided on request.
ABOUT US
We provide a range of conflict resolution services for schools with the objective of reducing the time, harm and disruption arising from dispute.
Education mediation services is co-ordinated by Meriel Stinson, whose background in stakeholder relations and as a school governor convinced her of the need for a holistic approach to schools' interpersonal disputes. She is a qualified inter-personal mediator with several years' experience of resolving dispute and building dialogue where there's conflict.
