Richard taught for 20 years in mainstream Scottish secondary education until 2002 - more than half of this time was within student support. He established Scotland's first peer mediation programme in St. Andrew's High, Kirkcaldy in 1996 and subsequently developed an innovative and successful 'Alternative to Exclusion' programme, based on Restorative Justice, between 1997 and 2002. He works regularly with individual Primary and Secondary schools and Local Education Services delivering courses in the fields of pupil support, relationships and communication. He has delivered staff development sessions and workshops on Restorative Practice and Mediation for the Scottish Government, the Scottish Mediation Network, Scottish Anti-Bullying and Ethos Networks, the Scottish Association of Guidance Teachers, Sacro, individual education authorities and at national conferences.He has been involved in secondments, consultancy, evaluation, development and training with a wide range of national and local organisations on inclusion topics including; Restorative Practice, managing challenging behaviour, peer support programmes, person-centred assessment, mental health support programmes, interpersonal skills and counselling approaches in student support. He was a field researcher/author for the Scottish Government's 'Dealing with Disruption' CD ROM package (2001) and for their 'Better Behaviour' web site (2004/5). Richard also chaired the Scottish Mediation Network's Education Initiative Group (2003-2006).Richard has trained as a teacher and as a counsellor, and in the fields of Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, Restorative Justice and Mediation.Publications'Working Together': Course EE854 for the Open University in Scotland, 2005.'Peer Support in Schools - a Handbook' (with Andrew Mellor). The University of Edinburgh, 2005. ISBN 0-9538660-3-3'Building and Restoring Respectful Relationships in School: A Guide to Using Restorative Practice'. Routledge 2009