Peer pressure among teenagers is a very powerful tool, ask any parent. So it will be interesting to see how a pioneering “playground justice” initiative fares at one of our progressive secondary schools.
Pupils at Hameldon Community College have been taking the law into their own hands – with the blessing of the police and have been trained to mediate and intervene to sort out issues such as bullying, assaults, theft and cyber-bullying.
The resorative justice project looks well worth a try and has rightly been praised by local police chiefs. There are bound to be hiccups along the way, but let’s give it a chance.
Chris Daggett