Setting boundaries: a guide for staff in schools

This guide contains useful tips for education staff on how to set and keep clear boundaries at work.

It explains the importance of setting boundaries, outlining how they help to provide clear expectations, manage priorities, and preserve positive mental health and wellbeing.

Some of the practical guidance around setting and maintaining boundaries include:

• defining your boundaries
• documenting your boundaries
• communicating your boundaries
• protecting and sticking to your boundaries
• reviewing and resetting your boundaries.

There is also information around some of the key principles to setting boundaries, such as prioritising self-care, good communication and paying attention to your instincts. A section of the guide breaks down ten examples of boundaries that staff could adopt.

This would be a helpful resource for mental health leads to use to support staff wellbeing. It promotes a culture across the school or college setting that respects staff privacy.

Using this resource

This resource is designed for:

• use by mental health leads working with students aged 5 to 19+.

Learning outcomes

This resource addresses the following learning outcomes:

• Access and utilise tools, strategies and resources to support their own mental health so that they can look after themselves.
• Identify and utilise tools, strategies and resources to confidently engage staff to help promote and support their mental health and wellbeing.