Teachers and parents are often unsure of the frequently redrawn boundaries between discipline and punishment. Encouraging Positive Discipline is a helpful 20-page booklet from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), full of advice on how to think and act sensibly and rightly. It argues forcefully against the use of harsh or humiliating punishments, but it’s not just an anti-smacking diatribe. Using case studies and research findings, it discusses how body language, removal of privileges, cautions, “groundings” and rewards can all play their part in helping children move from doing as they’re told to developing an informed conscience. Encouraging Positive Discipline costs pound;1.50 (less for more than 20 copies) from NSPCC Publications, Unit 42, Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH.
Tel: 020 7825 2775 Child protection helpline: 0808 800 5000 Email: infounit@nspcc.org.uk www.nspcc.org.uk