Fairness includes listening, using relevant information and applying agreed rules consistently. A fair judge does not choose a winner because one person is a friend or speaks loudest. Children can practise fair listening in small classroom disagreements, but adults handle threats, serious harm and situations that need protection. Our examples are invented and are not a class investigation.

Imagine two pupils disagree about who may use a shared marker. You heard only the final sentence, so you do not yet know the whole story. Pause before assigning blame. Let each person explain without interruption, then check the agreed sharing rule. ‘I heard shouting’ is an observation; ‘the loudest person started everything’ is an assumption. A calm process helps prevent a quick guess becoming an unfair decision.

Evidence can include a turn-taking list, a teacher’s observation or an agreed account. Check whether the information answers the actual question. A person’s clothes, popularity or friendship with you do not prove what happened. Fairness does not always mean identical treatment: a learner may need an accessible tool or more time to take part. The aim is a reasonable chance to participate, using support appropriate to the task.

For the marker disagreement, a timed turn or a shared plan may solve the problem. Explain the reason and check whether each person understands. If the story remains unclear, ask the teacher rather than inventing certainty. A fair process also allows a decision to be corrected when new evidence appears. Do not force a child who feels unsafe into a face-to-face meeting. Serious bullying is not simply a disagreement between equal sides and needs adult protection.

Use a fictional sharing problem. Make three columns: what we know, what we need to ask and a possible fair solution. Explain which rule supports the solution.

You may explain your plan, arrange picture cards or use an adapted version agreed with the teacher. Describe one choice and how it helps the task.