Rights Respecting Schools Award

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. Every child, no matter who they are or where they live, has the right to grow up safe, happy and healthy.

What are Child Rights – UNCRC?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a legally-binding agreement describing what children need to: survive, grow and live up to their full potential.

All children everywhere in the world are entitled to all of these rights.

The Convention also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all of their rights.
 

What does it mean to be a Rights Respecting School?

A rights-respecting school is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
 

What is the Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA)?

The Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) is a Unicef UK programme that aims to put children’s rights at the heart of schools in the UK.

Unicef work with thousands of schools across the country to embed children’s rights in their ethos and culture to improve well-being and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential.

The award is based on principles of equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation.

Through assemblies, displays and the curriculum, the children are learning about our human rights – and the impact of being denied our human rights.

Children’s Rights are embedded within our child centred, creative, skills based curriculum where there is a strong emphasis on the voice of our children, mutual respect, social justice and global citizenship.

We are proud of the enthusiasm and positive attitudes that our children have demonstrated towards each other, our local community and the wider world.

Does the UNCRC talk about responsibilities?

The children are taught that they have the responsibility to respect the rights of others.

These matching rights and responsibility statements are created by the children in their RSE jigsaw lessons and then displayed in each class as their Class Charter.

Children are taught that their rights are UNCONDITIONAL meaning they are not a reward and not dependant on them performing an action to get them.

Impact of Rights

Embedding rights into school life gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible and active citizens.

We, at Glenthorne, expect that the impact of becoming a Rights Respecting School will be positive for children, staff and the whole community.

How can parents support their child to learn about the Convention at home?

All adults (parents, teachers or the government) are known as Duty Bearers. It is our responsibility to make children aware of their rights and to act if their rights are not being met.
 

Our Rights Respecting Team

Although becoming a Rights Respecting School involves all of the children in our school, our pupil leadership team are the leaders and ambassadors for this project. Through regular meetings, we discuss the rights that we want to focus on for each term and launch a whole school effort so everybody understands the rights and can apply them. They also support in ensuring rights are followed and respected in school and often speak up if they feel rights are not supported.