Macquarie Mediation works with schools and organisations at every stage of conflict. Not just when things have broken down, but from the moment something starts to feel difficult.
Conflict that is addressed early is manageable. Conflict that runs unchecked compounds. The service below reflects that reality. Start wherever you are.
Prevention in real time
Skills for the whole team
Structured dialogue, early
Formal resolution & agreement
Prevention in real time is more effective, and considerably cheaper, than mediation done the track. Conflict coaching is 1:1 support for leaders and professionals who are dealing with something difficult right now and need a clear head and a practical plan.
Sessions are private and focused on your specific situation. You bring the problem. We think it through together: what is actually happening, what you want from it, and what your next step is. Whether that is a conversation you need to have tomorrow, a staff relationship that is quietly deteriorating, or a complaint you are trying to manage before it escalates, coaching gives you somewhere to work it out before you walk into the room.
Unresolved conflict has a cost, and it is higher than most people expect. A staff member off work with stress. A parent complaint that reaches the department. A team that has stopped functioning. A student whose learning is affected by the tension around them. Getting ahead of conflict is risk management, for student welfare, family relationships, staff wellbeing, and the financial sustainability of the school. Coaching is the earliest and lowest-cost intervention on that continuum.
Coaching is not mediation. It does not involve the other party. It is about helping you think, prepare, and act.
Enquire about coachingMost people have never been taught how to handle conflict well. They have been managing it instinctively, sometimes effectively and sometimes not. Professional development changes that, and the skills built in a room together are available when things get difficult.
Macquarie Mediation delivers practical, plain-English workshops for school staff, leadership teams, and whole-school communities. Not theory. Skills you can use the following week.
A 90-minute twilight session for up to 30 staff. Practical tools for having the conversations most people avoid. What to say, how to prepare, and what to do when it goes sideways. Suitable for teaching staff, support staff, and leadership teams.
For teams where the dynamics are strained. A structured half-day session that gives the team a chance to reset, build shared language, and agree on how they want to work together. Up to 12 participants. Run online or on-site.
Leadership PD days, diocesan training sessions, principal networks. If you are looking for conflict resolution professional development for a larger group or a specific context, get in touch and we will talk through what would fit.
Macquarie Mediation workshops are written specifically for education contexts. The examples are from schools. The language is plain. The facilitator has been a principal. That matters, and people in the room know the difference.
A structured conversation, facilitated by a neutral third party, where two or more people work through a specific issue together. Less formal than mediation. No written agreement required, though one can be reached if the parties want it.
Facilitative conversations work well when the people involved are still willing to engage but are struggling to make progress without support. The relationship is worth preserving. The conversation is not going anywhere productive on its own. A neutral facilitator changes both of those things.
Mediation is a formal process with a defined structure, a signed agreement to participate, and an outcome document. A facilitative conversation is lighter. It is a supported dialogue rather than a formal procedure. There is no intake paperwork, no formal agreement to mediate, and no requirement for a written outcome, though one can be created if it is helpful.
Facilitative conversations are often the right choice when parties are earlier in the process and the goal is to prevent escalation rather than resolve something that has already broken down.
EnquireA formal, structured process facilitated by a nationally accredited mediator. Both parties participate voluntarily. The mediator is neutral. Anything said in the session is confidential. Agreements are reached by the people involved, not imposed.
Macquarie Mediation is AMDRAS accredited and operates under the National Mediator Accreditation System. All mediations include intake with each party, a joint session, and a plain-English written agreement if resolution is reached.
School disputes have a particular character. The relationship between a family and a school does not end with the mediation. Whatever agreement is reached needs to be something both sides can actually live with, implemented within the real constraints of a school. Macquarie Mediation understands that context. After more than 20 years in school leadership, including as a principal, that understanding is not theoretical.
Team breakdowns, staff complaints, and management disputes. Run online or in person, with full confidentiality. The employer pays the full fee. Participating staff are not invoiced.
Mediation is available online Australia-wide and in person across Central West NSW.
Start with a free callAn annual retainer for schools that want ongoing access to mediation, coaching, and advice. Priority bookings, a direct advice line, termly check-ins, and mediations or workshops at the retainer rate. One school. One fixed annual cost. Available when you need it.
Ask about the retainerThe first call is free and takes 15 minutes. We will listen to what is happening and tell you honestly whether mediation, coaching, or something else is likely to help.
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