FEBRUARY 07, 2014No-rules playground policy results in decreased student confrontations
(New Zealand) As policy-makers and school administrators grapple with how best to enforce school site discipline, a principal at small primary school outside Auckland has ordered a ‘no rules’ policy on the playground, apparently resulting in an immediate decrease in incidents of bullying, vandalism and injuries.
“The kids were motivated, busy and engaged,” Bruce McLachlan, principal at Swanson School, said in interviews last month with a number of local reporters. “In my experience, the time children get into trouble is when they are not busy, motivated and engaged. It's during that time they bully other kids, graffiti or wreck things around the school.”
The idea was sparked by the school’s participation in a university study aimed at encouraging active play. Taking the step of eliminating playground rules was not taken lightly and caused some anxiety among the staff.
At first it was just a matter of giving kids more freedom to engage in free play or to climb trees –
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