ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how one school worked with a group of children to help them identify the issues that were causing conflict when they played outdoor games, and come up with ideas to resolve them. Children developed a ‘charter’ of how they should behave, and worked with the school’s sports coach to put their plan into action. The coach delivered a programme of activities in which children practised using their negotiating skills through games, discussed how best to resolve disputes, the importance of empathising with others’ situations and how to play collaboratively. Evaluation showed a reduction in playground incidents of poor behaviour, and an increase learning time with consequent increased academic progress. The chapter notes that units of work to teach co-operation skills have now been embedded in the school’s PE curriculum.
