Manual for the programme to prevent and respond to school violence in East Kazakhstan

Highlights

School violence can threaten a child’s sense of safety within school, negatively impacting on their ability to learn. The best way to address school violence is to step in promptly, with effective intervention in the first instance. Internationally, ‘best practice’ in preventing and responding to school violence is being used to develop school-wide systems of prevention and intervention.

This includes proactive strategies for defining, teaching, supporting and reinforcing a continuum of ethical rules (appropriate and desirable behaviours) for all students and school personnel – in the classroom and beyond. Systems of intervention are in place for at-risk and high-risk students (those with problem behaviours and/or highly disruptive, aggressive or violent behaviours) as well as for school personnel who demonstrate abuse or violence towards students. There are also systems for reporting, reviewing/investigating, and recording incidents of school violence. Ultimately, the focus is on creating and sustaining primary (school-wide) prevention and secondary (targeted) and tertiary (individualized) systems of intervention, with the aim of creating a positive school environment for all students.