Providing a refreshing approach to conflict, behaviour and relationships in education
I am a dynamic facilitator with on the ground experience of leading restorative culture change programmes in schools and Local Authority teams (SEND, Education and Educational Psychology). Working internationally, I provide support, training and development to school communities to promote the foundational skills needed for conflict transformation. With over 10 years experience supporting schools in the UK and Europe to develop a restorative way of working, I specialise in the development of a whole school approach to restorative practices. I am a restorative practitioner accredited through the Restorative Justice Council.
At the heart of my personable training and coaching style is a reflective and infectious curiosity that sits alongside a determination to get people active in their learning. With a solid focus on communication, creativity and dialogue, I look to enable everyone in school to build healthy, coherent and meaningful relationships within their classes and teams and to realise their potential.
I work in a trauma-informed way and emphasise the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of everyone. In understanding the adaptations people (young and old) make to their behaviour, I offer learning opportunities in which people can rebuild a sense of control (in their learning, or their relationships), find new ways of mitigating or tolerating the adversities they have experienced and, make sense of the experiences they have had by using the resources available to them.
I spent 10 years as a Programme Director for Peacemakers responsible for the Restorative, Youth and Community programmes. This unique education charity helped me to forge my restorative practice in schools. I have also worked as a facilitator, director and performer delivering theatre-in-education projects with young people in schools, youth offending and community settings. My specialist area is in Forum Theatre and I have delivered experiences to clients including the NHS, Shelter, schools, teachers, Local Authorities and professional theatres. I am trained as a Forum Theatre facilitator and bring this creative, inclusive and innovative approach to much of my work.
My research focuses on peace education, social justice, and participatory action research (PAR) through arts-engaged and drama-led methods. I explore how young people co-construct knowledge about conflict and transformation, emphasising liberatory education, creativity, and action. Through Theatre of the Oppressed and PAR, I examine how values-led, democratic inquiry fosters agency and alternative ways of understanding peace and conflict. My work highlights the role of schools in shaping relational dynamics and demonstrates that radical, peaceful change can emerge through participatory, restorative approaches.
I am also a Director of The Restorative Lab helping workplaces to transform conflict into opportunities for growth and innovation.
Click here for links to chapters, resources and short films of me in action.
Anna Gregory 