The Berry Street Restorative School Model, known as the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM), is a trauma-informed, evidence-based approach designed to improve outcomes for students who have experienced adversity, disengagement, and complex needs. This overview synthesises the model’s key frameworks, foundational principles, and the research base evaluating its impact, with a focus on restorative practice (RP) knowledge.berrystreet+1

Introduction: Model Overview

The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) occupies a unique and influential position in the landscape of trauma-informed, restorative schooling. Developed in Australia and grounded in over a decade of research and practical fieldwork, BSEM was designed to address the needs of students who have experienced adversity and disadvantage, as well as those who find themselves disengaged from traditional learning environments. The model takes inspiration from Berry Street’s 140-year tradition of working with vulnerable children, adapting decades of therapeutic insight and child-centred innovation for the classroom. As schools world-wide face mounting complexity—responding to rising student anxiety, social fragmentation, and diverse learning needs—BSEM has become a blueprint for integrating social and emotional wellbeing with academic instruction in both specialist and mainstream contexts.

BSEM is recognised for its practical, adaptable framework that empowers educators to create classroom conditions in which all students can regulate themselves, relate positively with peers and adults, and meaningfully engage in learning. Central to its pedagogical stance is an assumption that every behaviour has meaning—frequently rooted in a student’s prior experience of stress or trauma. Instead of punitive discipline, teachers are equipped with an extensive toolkit of strategies for de-escalation, repair, and relationship-building, including restorative conversations and predictable routines. This trauma-aware and strengths-based approach is designed not only to enhance self-regulation and classroom safety but also to elevate a sense of belonging, optimism, and opportunity among students from all walks of life.

What sets the Berry Street Education Model apart is its whole-school philosophy, extending far beyond the actions of individual teachers. Implementation involves school-wide professional development, leadership mentoring, and ongoing consultancy support to ensure that restorative and trauma-informed approaches permeate every level of policy and practice. Over 80,000 educators and thousands of schools have engaged with BSEM’s core and advanced training modules, reporting substantial shifts in school culture, student engagement, and academic growth. The model’s influence is also reflected in state and national education policy, contributing to evolving definitions of best practice in student wellbeing and inclusive pedagogy. Through its sustained, evidence-informed focus on relational learning and restorative justice, BSEM stands as a leading model for those seeking to reimagine education as an engine for hope, connection, and lifelong growth.

Core Philosophy: Trauma-Informed, Relationship-Driven

At its heart, the Berry Street model recognises the pervasive impact of adversity and trauma on learning and behaviour. It draws on the work of leading scholars such as Bessel van der Kolk, Martin Seligman, and Carol Dweck, and embodies principles of unconditional positive regard, strengths-based practice, and restorative responses to harm. The model encourages high expectations within a nurturing context, seeing every behaviour as a form of communication to be understood rather than punished.berrystreet

The Five Domains of the Model

BSEM is structured around five domains, each targeting a key area of student growth:

Body: Focus on physical and emotional regulation; strategies to manage stress and support co-regulation.
Relationship: Building trust and safety through authentic relationships between staff and students.
Stamina: Fostering academic persistence, resilience, and a growth mindset even in the face of setbacks.
Engagement: Motivating students to participate in learning by validating their strengths, interests, and needs.
Character: Nurturing values, identity, and aspirations; helping students envision positive future pathways.

Classrooms guided by BSEM use predictable routines, restorative conversations after conflict, and collaborative problem-solving as primary responses to incidents or difficulties.berrystreet+1

Restorative Practice Integration

A key anchor of the model is a restorative, rather than punitive, approach to behaviour. Instead of exclusion or sanctions, BSEM schools use structured “repair conversations” that focus on accountability, restoring relationships, and building social-emotional skills. Teachers are trained to hold private, respectful dialogues that guide students through reflection, emotional awareness, and planning for repaired actions. This restorative ethos permeates the whole school, from informal interactions to formal responses after harm.berrystreet

Research and Evaluation

Rigorous research, led by the University of Melbourne’s Youth Research Centre and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, validates the effectiveness of the Berry Street model in diverse school contexts. Evaluation projects—including both large-scale three-year studies and targeted annual reviews—have gathered quantitative and qualitative data on outcomes such as student engagement, classroom climate, self-regulation, and academic achievement.berrystreet+1

Main Findings

Academic Growth: Students in BSEM-informed classrooms have demonstrated learning progress at rates often exceeding traditional expectations, including incidences of achieving more than two years’ academic progress in one year.berrystreet
Improved Wellbeing and Engagement: There is consistent evidence of improved attendance, reduced behavioural incidents, increased social-emotional wellbeing, and greater classroom participation.
Staff Capacity: Research highlights enhanced teacher confidence, skill in managing complex behaviours, and capacity to create inclusive, responsive classroom environments.berrystreet

Research Publications

The model’s researchers have published widely in both peer-reviewed academic journals and practitioner-focused outlets. Key studies include:

Brunzell, T., Stokes, H., & Waters, L. (2015, 2019). “Trauma-Informed Positive Education: Using Positive Psychology to Strengthen Vulnerable Students” (Contemporary School Psychology).
Brunzell, T., Stokes, H., & Waters, L. (2019). “Shifting Teacher Practice in Trauma-Affected Classrooms” (School Mental Health).
Brunzell, T., Waters, L., & Stokes, H. (2015). “Teaching with strengths in trauma-affected students” (American Journal of Orthopsychiatry).
Stokes, H., & Brunzell, T. (2019, 2020). On professional learning and trauma-informed school change (School Leadership Review; Leading & Managing).

Additional reports document the positive transformation of school cultures and communities adopting the model, including improved relationships, greater inclusion, and enhanced overall school climate.berrystreet

Implications for Restorative Practice

BSEM’s whole-school approach aligns closely with restorative practice principles. It prioritises community building, authentic communication, the repair of harm, and the reintegration of students following disruption. The restorative elements move beyond behaviour management, instead offering a “relational lens” for understanding and responding to student needs. For RP practitioners, the Berry Street model offers practical frameworks for:

Embedding restorative language and shared values across the school.
Responding flexibly to student distress with empathy and accountability.
Systematically addressing the causes and effects of harm through inclusive processes.
Building staff knowledge and comfort with restorative strategies, supported by ongoing professional development.berrystreet

Conclusion

The Berry Street Education Model presents a robust, evidence-based synthesis of trauma-informed theory and restorative practice, delivering measurable benefits for both students and staff. Its research base is extensive, with long-term evaluations confirming its capacity to transform wellbeing, academic success, and the overall climate of schools. For restorative practice knowledge bases, BSEM exemplifies how relational and trauma-informed approaches can be operationalised at the classroom, whole-school, and community level, providing a model for healing, growth, and sustained inclusion in contemporary education systems.berrystreet+1

Author

Martin Howard

Martin Howard has 30 years of experience in restorative justice training and advocacy. He serves on the Global Steering Council of Restorative Justice International and is a founding member of Restorative Practices International (Queensland). He is facilitator for the Sycamore Tree Project (Prison Fellowship) and is a technical innovator and writer\ in the field.

The Berry Street Education Model and Its Research Evidence: Trauma-Informed Restorative Practice in Action