Rights Respecting School
What is our vision for being a Rights Respecting School?
We are proud to be recognised as a Bronze: Rights Committed school under the UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools Award. This means we have formally committed to embedding the rights of children, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This is rooted in our ethos, our policies, our classrooms and our community.
But for us, Bronze is just the beginning. Over the next year we are working hard to achieve Silver: Rights Aware accreditation. Silver reflects a stronger embedding, where the principles of children’s rights are not just understood, but lived by everyone in the school community.
We believe that every child should:
- Learn about their rights and responsibilities as set out in the UNCRC.
- Experience a school culture where those rights are understood, respected and lived every day.
- Develop the confidence, empathy and sense of justice needed to thrive as active, responsible citizens in a global community.
What does being a Rights Respecting School look like in practice?
- Rights Assemblies: Fortnightly assemblies explore articles from the UNCRC, giving pupils opportunities to reflect, share ideas and connect rights to everyday life.
- Right of the Month: Each month we spotlight a specific article, helping children understand what it means and how it applies to them.
- Class Charters: Every class creates its own charter, agreeing together how they will respect rights in their classroom community.
- Rights Champions: Our pupil-led team advocates for rights across the school, ensuring children’s voices influence decisions and events.
- Children’s rights are integrated throughout our curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Lessons instil themes of equality and respect, while clubs and enrichment opportunities ensure every child’s right to play, relax and engage in cultural experiences is upheld.
How do we plan and embed rights-based learning?
Our approach is systematic and inclusive:
- Rights education is sequenced across the year through assemblies and PSHE curriculum links, including debates and circle times.
- Children revisit key ideas regularly so that understanding deepens over time. The Right of The Month is shared across the school and classes are given opportunities to learn and engage with this within their own classroom environment.
- Pupil voice is central, through Rights Champions, forums and charters, children help shape school life.
This ensures that rights are not an add-on but a foundation for learning and behaviour.
What can you do to help at home?
Start conversations with your child about the UNCRC articles and what they mean in everyday life. Each week, we share the “Right of the Month” in our newsletter, use this as a prompt to explore together. Talking about these rights helps children understand not only what they are entitled to, but also their responsibilities and how these ideas link to fairness, respect and caring for others.
