Peer Mediation Success Story – Elmwood Junior School

Sharing What Works

At CRESST, we know that no two schools are the same and neither are their Peer Mediation programmes. That’s why we’re sharing success stories from schools we’ve worked with across the UK.

These short case studies are designed to celebrate the dedication and creativity of schools that have introduced Peer Mediation with CRESST’s support. They offer a snapshot of what’s working well, how challenges are being met, and practical ideas that might support your approach.

There’s no one-size-fits-all model, but we hope these examples give you useful insights, and demonstrate how, with the right support, young people can resolve conflict peacefully.

School Profile: Elmwood Junior School

  • School age range: 7-11
  • Peer Mediation est.: 2023/4
  • Mediators trained: 24 Y5&6 pupils

Elmwood first began working with CRESST in November 2023. 24 students took part in the initial two-day Peer Mediation training and a workshop for staff was delivered to support the programme. In 2024, a new cohort of peer mediators also received training, helping to grow and sustain the scheme within the school.

How Peer Mediation works at Elmwood Junior School:

Peer mediation schemes often work with a single coordinator who gets the scheme up and running, monitors its progress, and supports the children through any challenges. At Elmwood, the headteacher, Chris Marston, believes strongly in the value of peer mediation and has appointed three staff leaders to support this programme. This, and the fact that teachers use it to help resolve their own conflicts, means that it is deeply embedded in the school culture.

Following the initial training, mediators introduced the scheme at assemblies for all year groups. They followed up with visits to individual classrooms to personalise the scheme and reinforce its value among the whole school community.

Once the children had familiarised themselves thoroughly with the GLIDE script, they were able to simplify it. In 2025, they had lanyards created with reminder text featuring three basic points: What’s the problem, Remember to echo back and Ask what ideas disputants have to make things better. Peer mediators go up to the adult on playground duty and introduce themselves at the start of each work session.

The school has invited parents for a cup of tea and a chat to look at how they can reinforce the approach at home. This is a recent development, and while teachers reported finding it hard to get parents/guardians to come in for this reason, they were also keen to explore the potential for parent/guardian engagement further.

What has been the impact? 

16 children who trained as peer mediators completed questionnaires after the training:

  • 100% enjoyed the sessions, felt ready and were eager to become peer mediators.
  • Three-quarters of them said it had made a ‘difference to them as a person.’

When a follow-up visit took place three months later:

  • More than three-quarters said being a peer mediator had changed them as a person, with reasons given including that they were more calm, confident and better at listening.
  • Pupils cited being able to ‘help people’ as what was best about being a peer mediator and that they felt more confident about handling conflicts in their own lives.
  • 88% of the peer mediators reported that they’d seen at least some changes in their school because of peer mediation, including ‘people getting along more’, ‘fewer fights’ and ‘less things taken to teachers’.

On a follow-up visit from CRESST in June 2025 we spoke with around 12 mediators. Seeing how they’d adapted the scheme it was clear that they had the confidence and skills to interpret it flexibly to benefit the maximum number of pupils. For example, while they stuck to the principle of not mediating one disputant, they shared an example of where one disputant was messing around and the other really wanted mediation. In that instance, they sent away the disputant who wasn’t engaged, letting them know that they could return at another time, and offered care and comfort to the one who was upset. In other words, between mediating and not mediating they found a space for care and connection.

Children also reported using their skills at home – asking siblings if they wanted to sort things out together or speak to an adult – and on the football field, where the mediator was able to identify the issues and ringleaders and carry out a mediation away from the wider group. One pupil mentioned that it was important for her to learn emotional deregulation skills to support her transition to secondary school.

What has been challenging?

One teacher pointed out that it was difficult to evidence the success of peer mediation. This is partly because it is so well-integrated into the school that it is hard to isolate the impact of the scheme from the effect of the school’s wider values and ‘everyone’s a leader’ approach.

CRESST aims to capture before and after data and is happy to share this with schools alongside the anecdotal evidence gained during the end-of-year review. At Elmwood, teachers reported that the difference in the young people was clear to see.

Student Perspectives: 

“I think it worked perfectly last year. We had a lot of children coming to us, recognising us in the playground with our high vis jackets. It felt good to support others especially when we helped support disputants to resolve their conflict or compromise with each other. I really enjoy being a peer mediator. I am really excited about helping other people resolve their problems again this year. We are helping to train new peer mediators.”

Staff Reflections: 

Miss Elliott, ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)

“I have been supporting the peer mediators since the start of the training. Peer mediation has had a positive impact across the school as not only does it give children the opportunity to independently provide support to resolve conflict with the learnt skills, adults also have the opportunity to use the skills themselves across the school, handing back to children the opportunity to problem solve conflict independently. Actively listening and asking open questions are two of the key skills children have learned.

As an ELSA, I use the peer mediation skills throughout the day, both on the playground and during ELSA sessions. In my opinion, there has not been anything negative; giving children the opportunity to resolve and support conflict has an amazing impact and sense of achievement.  We have adapted the GLIDE process to save time during mediation however, the process remains the same.

I have also used the skills in adult situations out of school which have ended positively, using the process to work through conflict. The main point for me is, it works. We have begun a new school year with very enthusiastic peer mediators with our previous mediators supporting the training. All are looking forward to using their skills.”

Top Tips: 

Get Everyone Involved: For peer mediation to succeed, the whole school community needs to understand and support it. Find ways to explain both the purpose and process, through assemblies, staff meetings, newsletters, or displays so that staff, pupils and parents know what it is, why it matters and how to support the scheme.

Meet Regularly with Your Peer Mediators: Regular check-ins keep your mediators confident and committed. Use these sessions to troubleshoot challenges, offer encouragement and practice key skills. Even short, informal meetings can make a big difference.

Share the Skills Beyond the Team: At Elmwood, peer mediators, supported by staff, helped deliver conflict resolution skills in PSHE lessons across the school. This raised awareness, gave all pupils useful tools and helped reinforce the value of the mediation scheme.

Build an Adult Support Team: Coordinating peer mediation can be time-consuming and hard to sustain alone. At Elmwood, three staff members share the coordination role, helping to spread the workload and provide consistent support. Just as important is the full and active backing of the senior leadership team, which helps embed the scheme into the school’s wider culture and priorities.

See Hurdles as Learning Opportunities: Elmwood Junior experienced dips in enthusiasm, especially among older pupils, and challenges with the location and visibility of their mediators and mediation space. Each time, they regrouped with staff and students to reflect, adapt, and try new approaches. They also found it helpful to seek ideas and support through regular attendance at CRESST’s half-termly Peer Mediation Coordinators Forum, connecting with others facing similar challenges and CRESST staff. These hurdles are part of the change process, not signs of failure of the scheme.

What to know more or share your successes? 

If you’d like to find out more about Peer Mediation training or are interested in having your school featured in a future CRESST Success Story, please contact Rob Unwin, Programme Director at rob@cresst.org.uk>.

The Peer Mediator Coordinators’ Forum is an informal, half-termly online drop-in for staff supporting peer mediation in schools. It’s a great chance to share ideas, ask questions, and connect with others doing similar work. Keep an eye on your emails for dates or contact donna@cresst.org.uk to make sure you’re on the list!