Restorative practices in further education: a forgotten sector

In the UK, research on restorative practices (RP) in education focuses primarily on primary and secondary schools, while the Further Education (FE) sector remains a largely overlooked and underdeveloped area of inquiry — a forgotten sector in RP research and policy. Based on data collected over 14 months, this study explored how staff at FE institutions understood RP and their experiences of its successes, constraints, and the conditions required for effective policy implementation. Findings indicate that both top-down and bottom-up approaches to implementation are pivotal. However, RP policy is often interrupted or reversed due to institutional mergers or changes in Senior Leadership Teams (SLT). Additionally, a lack of regular training and professional development on RP hampers its consistent and meaningful application.