RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOLS AWARD

We are pleased to announce that we are now a  Gold Level Rights Respecting School.

We will continue to focus on children’s rights in our learning and use these to underpin everything that we do.

Thank you for all of your support in our Rights Respecting journey!

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation working for children and young people and their rights. In 1989, governments across the world agreed that all children have the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential.

Who Are We? 

Our Rights Respecting Steering group is made up of teachers, other staff members, pupils and governors.  We meet fortnightly to learn about our rights and discuss how we will promote awareness of them in our school community.

What We Do

Each class has a charter based on articles from the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child. Our RRSA ambassadors ensure that these are used and understood in our classes.

We lead assemblies to teach children about these articles.

We have led on many projects including:

Article 24:  Children have the right to health care clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that they will stay healthy.

Coordinating Harvest festival and distributing food to those in need in our local community. Producing artwork focussing on healthy food, for the Maidstone Harvest Trail.

Article 27:  Every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and social needs and support their development.

Leading events as part of Children in Need, raising money to support children in the UK.  Running events and fundraising in Sport Relief week, to encourage our pupils to make healthy choices and to support children in the UK and wider world to live healthy lives too.

Article 28:  Every child has the right to an education.  Discipline in schools must respect children’s dignity and their rights.

We held a Right to Education focus week. Through our Geography and History lessons, we learnt about how children in the past may not have always had access to education, and how this right might not be respected in all parts of the world.

We send out regular updates on our RRSA  projects through the Headteacher newsletters.

For further information about Rights Respecting Schools please visit:  www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa

You might ask…	As school leaders we think that…
What is a Unicef UK Rights Respecting School?	When schools get involved, the children learn about their rights by putting them into practice every day. Children and adults will learn about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which outlines what children need to survive and thrive, becoming the best they can be and achieving their potential.
Why is this happening?	A Unicef UK Rights Respecting School models rights and respect in all its relationships, whether between adults and pupils, between pupils or between adults. It is proven to benefit everyone in the school community to grow and learn together. Read more about the Award at www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa
How will becoming a Rights Respecting School benefit my child(ren)?	This approach works in many schools across the country to improve well-being and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential. Headteachers from schools involved in the Award say it has improved children’s and young people’s respect for themselves and others and contributed to children and young people being more engaged in their learning.
How can I get involved?	We hope you will support the school’s journey to become a Unicef UK Rights Respecting School. Please do read about the Convention and Unicef’s work (see link) to see what it’s all about!
What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child?	In 1989, governments worldwide promised all children the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention recognised that all children have the right to be treated with dignity and fairness, to be protected, to develop to their full potential and to participate. The rights in the Convention describe what a child needs to survive, grow, and live up to their potential in the world. They apply equally to every child, no matter who they are or where they come from. The Convention changed the way children are viewed and treated – in other words, as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity. It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty – only the United States has not ratified it. The UK signed up to it in 1991. You can read more about it at www.unicef.org.uk/crc   and download a summary of the articles at bit.ly/CRC-over11