Publications

Violence in Schools: a Whole-School Approach to Best Practice

Cowie, H. & Jennifer, D. (2007)

Violence at school isn’t just a school problem. The whole-school approach involves not only teachers and pupils in tackling violence in schools, but engages everyone from senior management and governors, to caretakers, lunchtime supervisors and parents, to those in the community: local businesses, other schools, the education authority, nurses, police, voluntary agencies and child services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

The method focuses on encouraging peer-group support. From setting up an email peer-support service to running a lunchtime club or offering one-to-one support, the authors suggest this approach can result in a more caring school environment, reducing bullying, offering peaceful resolutions in place of violence, and improving the reputation of a school more widely in the community. The book offers practical exercises, case studies and checklists for practitioners, trainee teachers, school managers and local authority advisors engaged in managing school relationships. There is also detailed guidance on how to conduct a needs analysis to address the issues raised, and to train pupils in effective communication.

School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action

Cowie, H. & Jennifer, D. (Co-ordinating team, UK), Chankova, D. & Poshtova, T. (Bulgaria), Deklerck, J. & Deboutte, G. (Belgium), ErtesvÅg, S. K. & Samuelsen, A. S. (Norway), O'Moore, M. & Minton, S. J. (Ireland) and Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (Spain) (2006) London: Paul Chapman

A training resource that addresses the issues of school bullying and violence through a whole school approach (WSA), aimed at educators, non-teaching staff, parents and policy-makers.

Emotional Health and Well-Being: A Practical Guide for Schools

Helen Cowie, Chrissy Boardman, Judith Dawkins and Dawn Jennifer

This accessible book describes behaviours, both disruptive and secretive, which indicate emotional distress. It tackles both the risk factors and the protective factors involved in emotional health and addresses the impact of issues such as bullying, social exclusion, loss and bereavement.

The authors present a range of strategies demonstrating how schools can develop practices grounded in knowledge about the mental health issues that relate to young people. They focus on methods and policies that have been scientifically evaluated or that are considered best practice.

Issues and interventions are illustrated throughout with case studies drawn from the authors' own experience. Each author has a longstanding interest in ways of creating supportive environments to prevent distress and to facilitate resilience in the young.

Emotional Health and Well-Being is essential reading for secondary school teachers, educational psychologists, education welfare officers and all those with pastoral care responsibilities.

Bullying - Towards a Non-Violent School

George Varnava

By providing teachers with a practical intervention programme to prevent bullying in their schools, this book gives the reader tried and tested strategies to tackle a very challenging problem. Creating a safe school environment where pupils feel secure is increasingly difficult, but this book shows how to devise a strategy, put it into practice, measure its effectiveness and extend good practice out into the wider community. The involvement of young people is a key element of this process. With its roots firmly in practice, the book is based on a study of: common characteristics of schools that have successfully reduced bullying; case studies that show how change can be achieved; raising whole-school awareness of the problem; how to address bullying as a whole-school issue; involving the School Council; and delivering in-service training to colleagues. Primary and secondary school teachers, the school management team, learning mentors, teaching assistants and governors should find the guidance clear and suggested approaches helpful.

Understanding Children's Development

Peter K. Smith, Helen Cowie and Mark Blades

This textbook provides a discussion of child development for beginning psychology students. Revised and updated to take account of developments in the field, it includes a new discussion of the major issues in current UK and European research as well as expanded coverage of the practical applications of this research.

Peer Support In Action: From Bystanding to Standing By

Helen Cowie and Patti Wallace

Peer support systems are increasingly being used in schools and other youth settings to tackle problems such as bullying, rejection, social exclusion, sexual identity, self-esteem and loneliness. This practical guide, grounded in theory, aims to give adults working with children and young people the knowledge, understanding and practical tools to provide effective and appropriate systems of peer support.

The authors combine insights drawn from practice with up-to-date research findings to give a sound basis for peer-based interventions. They encourage readers to build on the potential that many young people have for offering help and give practical guidance on how to train, guide and supervise them in supporting their peers.

Peer Support In Action is a useful and insightful aid for teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, education welfare officers, counsellors, counselling psychologists and all professionals involved in the pastoral care and guidance of children and young people.

Counselling and Supporting Children in Distress

Sharp, S. & Cowie, H (1998). London: Sage.

Checkpoints for Schools (PDF - 1.9MB)

George Varnava (2000)

Checkpoints for Schools is the first in a series of publications designed to promote non-violence in society. Its aims are to raise awareness, to enable schools to add a specific violence-prevention perspective to all aspects of their work, and to evaluate their progress. The process supports the overall aims of schools as a community within a wider community, working with appropriate partners towards the common goal of a non-violent society.

Checkpoint derives from the work of the Forum on Children and Violence. The Forum is developing other Checkpoints for parenting, early years care and education, sport and leisure and the media. Throughout this document violence is defined as behaviour which causes physical or psychological harm.

Checkpoints for Young People (PDF - 531kB)

George Varnava (2002)

Checkpoints for Young People is a complimentary guide accompanying Checkpoints for Schools (Varnava 2000). It provides a program for use by school children who have undertaken the Checkpoint program.