Challenging Attitudes to Violence, a scheme being piloted in secondary and primary schools, is using drama lessons and role play to show pupils how they can stop playground confrontations coming to blows.

Sylvia Brown believes schools can make a difference

The scheme seeks to help children understand aggression and teaches strategies that can lead to a peaceful resolution of arguments.

"This is a major social issue - and in schools we can actually do something about it. We're hoping that schools will take this on board," said Liverpool education authority's Sylvia Brown.

The use of drama is central to the scheme, in allowing children to study potential conflict and to rehearse different outcomes.

Chris Ball says role play can help children practise responses to aggression

Children play out scenes in which they try to provoke an individual into an aggressive retaliation, examining how pressure can be built up towards a conflict.

After exploring how fights start, pupils then can look at different ways in which they can be avoided, with role-playing examining alternative routes to violence.

"We can pose questions or problems to pupils within a fictional context, so that they can analyse or explore a situation in safety," said drama adviser, Chris Ball.

Bill Tucker has brought conflict resolution to the playground

The anti-violence project was originally developed in the Canadian province of Ontario, where such lessons in controlling aggression are part of the curriculum.

"We teach them how to resolve conflict in everyday lessons and playgrounds during recess," said Bill Tucker, an elementary school principal in Toronto.