Boundaries, Rules and Consequences – Why Are They Needed?

Boundaries can be defined as guidelines between people about suitable behaviour and responsibilities. They are the social niceties and protocols used whenever two or more people interact or come into contact. In fact, they depict our culture. They become the expectations we have wherever we are, whether it be at home, in the grocery store, at the theatre or in a public place. If there were no boundaries, our society would not function as we know it today.

In social settings like school, boundaries need to be kept firm.

We are not born knowing boundaries or behavioural expectations; these must be taught and instilled in our children so that, when in public or as adults, they understand the acceptable protocols and behaviours of our society. Home and school play major roles in establishing boundaries. At home, parents set the boundaries and have their own rules and expectations. When children come to school, they move into the next stage of learning boundaries; boundaries at school apply to hundreds of children, some of which may be different to those at home. This is when children learn that different contexts have different expectations. It is also when some children have difficulty adjusting to the new boundaries. At home, they might be allowed to yell in the house, sit where and how they want, eat when they want and they may be able to negotiate and bend the rules. In social settings like school, the boundaries need to be kept firm as boundaries cannot be negotiated with hundreds of children and there cannot be different boundaries for different children unless these are based on age or developmental stage.

Boundaries help children feel safe; they know the rules and boundaries and they accept and expect everyone will abide by them. They bring order to a school. They teach children how to interact appropriately with others and help them acknowledge that boundaries have purposes: some to protect and safeguard, some to instil pride, some to enable them to learn and some to help them interact with others.

Students in primary school are still learning about boundaries; therefore, it is expected that some children will break rules, interact poorly at times, not respond appropriately and fail to rise to expectation or set levels of responsibility. In educating the whole child, we teach students that there are consequences for breaking boundaries. These might be: having to apologise, discussing better choices that can be made, time out to calm down and think it through, staying in at lunchtime to complete tasks or time away from activities until their behaviour is appropriate and safe for others.

We also help students learn how to respond appropriately when others break social boundaries with them. This often depends on a child’s age. Younger children will often tell the teacher, but as they develop, they need to learn how to deal with some of these situations in preparation for life. That does not mean they do not tell the teacher – it means they can often use strategies to diffuse the situation or let the other person know their behaviour is unacceptable by employing social cues. Cues such as facial expressions, ignoring the other person until their behaviour changes and walking away are often the hardest to teach children to identify or employ, as they are often dealing with hurt and/or anger at the same time. The instigator is often upset because the other person responds by ignoring them, not understanding that it was something they did that upset the other, while the receiver is hurt because another person, sometimes their friend, did something to upset them. They feel betrayed and hurt and can often respond inappropriately, making the situation more complicated. As our mothers would say, “two wrongs do not make a right!”

Teachers and parents play a big role in helping children understand boundaries, consequences and the dynamics of situations. At School, boundaries, rules and consequences are often explained and examined so students have a good understanding of why they are in place. Teachers also employ warning systems, as parents do at home. Often a traffic signal system or names on the board are used – these let students know when their behaviour is approaching an unacceptable level and gives them time to moderate and adjust their behaviour. Consequences are used when the previous signals and acknowledgements are ignored – as parents would at home. It is important to understand that these boundaries are more firm at School because of the number of students teachers are dealing with at any time and the context in which teachers operate. Dealing with 20 students is different to dealing with two or three.

When situations arise between students, the dynamics of the situation needs to be understood by both parties and that ultimately, they are responsible for the decisions and actions they take. It is better to learn in a safe, moderated and supportive environment like school than later in life when the consequences are more serious. 

Ms Karen McArdle, Head of Junior School
Bodyworks: Health and Wellbeing Program

During Terms 3 and 4 in the Junior School, students will be participating in Bodyworks as part of the Health program. The Bodyworks Health and Wellbeing program is specifically designed to be sequential for the seven years of the primary curriculum. We look forward to welcoming back Amanda Parsons who will be delivering the program to our students.

The Bodyworks program is linked directly with the Australian Curriculum Physical Education and Health curriculum, as well as being tailored to the needs of the Junior School students.

From Prep to Year 6, the sequential program covers understanding through age-appropriate discussions and activities across four units:

  1. Understanding the Human Body
  2. Healthy Living
  3. Substance Use, Misuse and Abuse
  4. Personal Growth and Development:
    • Feeling OK – Prep to Year 2
    • Taking Care – Year 3
    • How I Began – Year 4
    • Puberty and Adolescent Development – Years 5 and 6.

Junior School New Parents Health Information Session
Prep parents and new Barbreck parents are invited to attend a Parent Information Session with Amanda Parsons to learn more about the program on Tuesday 27 August.

Date: Tuesday 27 August
Time: 8.15am – 8.45am
Venue: Room of Requirement, Junior School

Ms Catherine Samuel, Deputy Head of Junior School
Year Five Buddy Program

This term, the Prep students have enjoyed meeting with their Year 5 ‘Buddies’ on a weekly basis.

Each Thursday, the girls cannot wait until after lunch when they meet with their Buddies. Through peer scaffolding, the Year 5 students are supporting the development of new skills. The Prep girls have learnt how to play games such as Snap and Go Fish, using their sight words. This meant that on the following week, the Prep students were able to independently play these games during their literacy rotations. It was great to see the girls taking turns and listening to and providing instructions.

The Prep students enjoy meeting with their Year 5 ‘Buddies’.

The Prep students have also enjoyed having someone to share their reading with. The Prep girls have enjoyed reading their take home books to their Buddies and being tested on their sight words. The positive feedback and support shown by the Year 5 students was invaluable. The girls have enjoyed it so much that we have created a reading roster for the mornings.

The program has also involved outdoor activities. A few weeks ago, the Prep students invited our Buddies to help us celebrate the Prep 100 Days. We took to the driveways with chalk and created 100s charts, counting patterns, number lines and drawings. It was lovely to see the smiles on all of the girls’ faces and the support provided by the Year 5 cohort was fantastic. The Year 5 students have also taken the Preps to the playground where they enjoyed having the equipment all to themselves.

The Year 5 Buddies helped the Prep students to celebrate the occasion, ‘100 Days of Prep’.

Aside from meeting on Thursdays, the Prep students have also enjoyed interacting with their buddies in the playground and in the Library during recess and lunch. It is nice to have an older familiar face around the School.

We look forward to more fun with the Year 5 Buddies.

Miss Annie Taylor, Prep Teacher