1.2 Explain The Importance Of Disagreements With Children

All children will have disagreements with other children from time to time and sometimes they will have disagreements with you. Disagreements usually occur due to a lack of communication, a misunderstanding or when someone has different values or ideas. How you handle this sort of situation is extremely important and you must remember that you are a role model and you need to demonstrate the correct way to deal with a disagreement.

Everyone’s ideas and opinions are important to them and so it is also import to value them. Remember to use the correct terminology when having a disagreement and don’t be dogmatic. It is better to say: ‘I don’t think its right’ rather than ‘I think it’s wrong!’ as this isn’t such a negative response. It is important to be prepared to reach a compromise’ Listen to the other person. Children can normally be distracted away from the disagreement, for example if two children were arguing over a toy I would intervene. I would ask who had the toy first and then tell them that they can have it for another 5 minutes and then they must give it to the second child. I would explain the concept of sharing with them. If this did not sort out the disagreement I would possibly distract both the children by saying I had a very important job, which I needed them to do for
me and then give them a task to complete e.g. tidy away the paints etc. This would hopefully defuse the situation.

If the disagreement were more heated I would take them out of the situation and ask them to sit quietly and read a book until they had calmed down.

When it comes to adult, the appropriate way to manage disagreemets would be through the grievance policy.
The aim of this policy is to resolve grievances promptly, through effective communication and discussion. Informal discussions between employees and their headteacher/line manager are key to this and the vast majority of employee grievances can and should be resolved in this way. This approach prevents undue delay, lessens distress to the parties involved and it encourages good working relationships. It provides informal and formal routes for resolving employee grievances quickly, fairly, efficiently and as close to the source of the issue as possible. Its specific aims are
to:

• set out how an employee should raise a grievance
• ensure that the nature of the grievance is made clear
• ensure that the grievance is properly investigated
• obtain, where possible, a speedy resolution to the problem
• take appropriate actions
• inform the employee of his or her right, in the event of an unsuccessful resolution, to take the grievance to the next stage of the procedure