Dr. Paul Downes:

I gave the example of restorative practice. That has been in operation, for example, in the Childhood Development Initiative, CDI, in Tallaght for children as young as three. The intuitive social skills of turn taking, negotiating, listening to other people are embedded quite firmly in the primary school curriculum. We have quite a complex web of social and emotional competences built into habitual practices in our system.

The research suggests to try to commence these as early as possible. We look at the climate of our early years sector, the communicative practices there and then as it moves through the system. It is about habits of communication in many ways. Bullying within that is seen as a failure of communication.