According to Ben Turner of The Liverpool Echo:

Twenty schools in Sefton have embraced the government-funded restorative justice scheme which gets the child wrongdoer and victim to meet face to face.

Not only does the culprit apologise to the victim, but together they work through questions to clear the air.

And since introducing the scheme, Sefton education bosses say permanent exclusions have been reduced by 70%.

Today leaders at Bootle’s All Saints Catholic primary – one of the first schools signing up to the scheme – said it had almost wiped out all expulsions and made playtime “more and more agreeable”.

Catherine Eccleshall, a lead behaviour professional at the Chestnut Grove school said: “We ask children to resolve issues by negotiation.

“A child who feels hurt can ask the offender to say sorry. We also ask them to look at what they have done and ask the child who’s upset what can be done to make it better.

“It may just be an apology or the other child may agree to watch out for them in the playground.”

The school also has a friendship bench and has adopted the restorative justice at classroom level with pupils given the chance to own up to actions while victims can also speak out.

Mrs Eccleshall stressed the system was not a substitute for traditional sanctions, with serious offences dealt with in the usual way.

But she said: “We are not having to expel children as they learn from their mistakes and it is also a positive experience for the other child.

Cllr Peter Dowd, Sefton’s cabinet member for education said: “I am delighted it’s having this impact.”