Quaker-Led Mediation Scheme Honoured in Parliament
Children trained as mediators by a Quaker charity have won a national award at a ceremony in Parliament.
The National Mediation Awards, held in Parliament on 12 December, celebrated extraordinary work in mediation, with three schools nominated for “Peer Mediation Scheme of the Year."
The award went to Ocker Hill Nursery Infant School in the West Midlands, where children as young as six and seven help resolve playground disputes.
Trained by the Quaker charity Peacemakers, Ocker Hill is one of only a small number of nursery infant schools in the UK to run a scheme with such young children.
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We make sure our playground is happy and safe
- Ocker Hill Nursery and Infant School peer mediators, aged 6/7
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“We make sure our playground is happy and safe," explain the children in a video on their website.
Headteacher Rebecca Strange and assistant headteacher Sarah Beckett proudly accepted the award. “We can't wait to share the news with the children," they said.
Ben Harper, peer mediation national co-ordinator for Quakers in Britain, said: “It was so impressive to see children of this age honoured alongside professional and seasoned mediators.
“It shows that children, even as young as six, can and do contribute to peace making in their own world"
Quakers have played a pioneering role in bringing peer mediation to schools since the 1980s, promoting non-violent conflict resolution among young people.
Despite its benefits, peer mediation faces challenges from limited funding and inconsistent access to training.
In 2023, Quakers in Britain secured funding from the Sir James Reckitt Charity to employ a national coordinator for peer mediation.
This post has driven efforts to expand peer mediation schemes, train more children, and support teachers and volunteers to run local programmes.
Quakers in Britain has also partnered with the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) to develop accreditation for young mediators and raise their profile alongside adult practitioners.
The work has already trained 500 new peer mediators and works closely with the Quaker founded organisations who trained two of the three schools shortlisted for this year's award.
The third was set up by a young teacher who herself was a young peer mediator.
Further funding is essential to ensure this work continues, Quakers in Britain said. To support this work, email contributions@quaker.org.uk.