Although a wide body of research on school violence exists, much of the work is concentrated within westernized contexts, particularly within the American context, and is focused on the types of violent behaviours exhibited, the causes of the behaviour, and solutions to reduce the behaviours. Within the local context, research has identified root causes of school violence and possible solutions. These local studies neither purposely focus on the unmet needs of the secondary victims of school violence nor devise programmes to address the needs of this group of victims.

In Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, the issue of antisocial and violent behaviour in schools is an increasing source of concern and a critical challenge. Given the seriousness of the problem, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the Change from Within programme, an intervention to address violence and anti-social behaviours within Jamaican schools, and one whose methodology supports leadership development amongst all school stakeholders. The role of leadership in shaping school culture is widely acknowledged.

Using ethnographic field-notes as stories and applying a critical perspective, the study in this paper locates school violence in communities, in relationships, and in school procedures. The author contends that the symbolic violence that surrounds how schools operate often goes unrecognised and uncontested. The findings displace the conventional notion that violence starts and ends with individual students, to show how community contexts, social relations and structures, and school procedures intersect to re-inscribe violent behaviour among some students.