Within the Junior School, we see children as capable, thoughtful and full of possibility. Inspired by the principles of Reggio Emilia, we believe that children have ideas, questions, feelings and perspectives worth hearing. Their voices matter at every age, and we want them to feel confident sharing their ideas and taking part in the communities they belong to.
This term, students across the Junior School will engage in My Voice · My Body · My Boundaries, a learning sequence that supports children to understand their rights, develop their voice, respect the boundaries of others and know how to seek help when they need it.
At the heart of this learning is a belief we hold strongly: every child has the right to feel safe, heard and respected.
Grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this belief reminds us that children experience safety, respect and belonging in the everyday moments of school life – in classrooms, friendships, playgrounds and conversations where they come to understand that what they think and feel is important.
Through My Voice · My Body · My Boundaries, students build shared language for body awareness, personal boundaries, consent, respectful relationships, privacy and help-seeking. They learn that their body belongs to them, that boundaries support healthy relationships and that asking for help is something they can do with confidence.
Over time, this learning helps children build confidence, trust and a stronger sense of self.
Across the Junior School, students revisit these ideas in ways that grow with them. Younger students begin with simple language such as ‘please stop’, ‘no thank you’ and ‘can you help me?’ As they grow, students apply this language to friendships, group situations, privacy, digital spaces and the everyday choices that help build respectful communities.
For us, this work sits at the heart of wellbeing and community. When children understand their rights, they begin to understand their worth. They also learn that the rights of others matter too. As they practise using respectful language, seeking help and noticing the needs of others, they grow in confidence, empathy and responsibility.
Families play such an important part in this learning. Gentle conversations at home about respect, personal space, listening, consent, privacy and asking for help support children to make sense of the language they are practising at school. In this way, the home and school work together to surround children with a shared, calm and empowering message: you matter, your body belongs to you, and there are trusted people around you who will listen, care and support you.
My Voice. My Body. My Boundaries.
A message we hope children carry with them, not just in what they learn, but in how they see themselves and care for others.
Mel Brown
Deputy Head of Junior School – Wellbeing and Community
