North Curry C of E Primary School is proud to be a Rights Respecting School. At North Curry Primary, empowering children with a voice to enable positive change is very important. The skills of collaboration and leadership, self-reflection, critical thinking and successful action planning are key in creating young citizens who are confident they can thrive when faced with a challenge.
OUR JOURNEY
At the beginning of September 2022 we began our journey to gaining the BRONZE award. We held a staff Inset Day and have a new team of Rights Respecting Ambassadors, the ‘Social Action Superstars’ chosen from the School Council.
In January 2023, North Curry Primary School we were awarded with the first stage of the UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting Schools Award – Bronze: Rights Committed. We will now be working towards our Silver accreditation which will be assessed during the Autumn Term, 2023.
What is a Rights Respecting School?
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the human rights of every person under the age of 18. The Convention is an international human rights treaty which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989 and ratified by the UK in 1991. The Convention is a very important document because it recognises 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. It also lays out what countries must do to ensure that all children can enjoy their rights, regardless of who they are, or where they are from.
The Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) supports schools across the UK to embed children’s human rights in their ethos and culture. Schools can achieve a special award. The award recognises achievement in putting the UN Convention on the Right of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of a school’s practice to improve well-being and help all children realise their potential.
Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as the guide, the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. The Rights Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.
RRSA- The award is based on principles of equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation. The initiative started in 2006 and schools involved in the Award have reported a positive impact on relationships and well-being, leading to better learning and behaviour, improved academic standards and less bullying. The Award is aimed at schools across the UK. UNICEF are working with more UK schools than almost any other organisation. Over 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and nearly 5,000 schools up and down the country are working through the Award. The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond.
RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOL VALUES
We have Rights respecting school values that are at the core of our ethos.
Kindness– We show care and concern for all, and exercise kindness towards others. We hold friendship and peer support as key aspects to the development and fulfilment of ourselves and the whole school community. We express warmth and understanding to others, including their thoughts and feelings which may differ from our own.
Respect– Develop self-respect, and respect for others. We promote and develop an inclusive
Koinonia – Develop self-respect, and respect for others. We promote and develop an inclusive community, where we will appreciate and value the diversity of individual’s circumstances and backgrounds.
Hope – We strive to be the best versions of ourselves, even when faced with challenge and adversity. We seek support from those around us in order to develop.
Rights Respecting Certificates
At the end of each week a child from each class is awarded the Rights Respecting Citizen of the week award. This is an opportunity for children to gain recognition for displaying one or more of the RRS values. It is important to show children, parents and the wider school community that North Curry Primary School values the growth and development of the whole child, academically, socially, physically and emotionally.
There are four key areas of impact for children at a Rights Respecting school: wellbeing, participation, relationships and self-esteem. The RRSA Impacts children and whole school communities in the following areas:
- Children learn about rights
- Children can exercise their rights
- A culture of respect across the school
- Pupil engagement – a shared sense of community and belonging
- A culture where children’s voices are heard and valued
- Children take their right to an education seriously
- Global citizenship – children believe they can change the world for the better
- Children develop self-esteem and value themselves
- A school environment where children feel safe and cared for
- Adults also benefit from a rights respecting culture Schools holding the RRSA Children are healthier and happier, Children feel safe, Children have better relationships and Children become active and involved in school life and the wider world.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child: The children’s version | UNICEF
Silver Award
The silver award is achieved by delving deeper and explicitly embedding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into policy, practice and culture. It promotes knowledge and understanding of the Convention throughout your school community and develops through the stages of the action plan previously created. As this develops, children and staff become more positive. This becomes more visible, improving the school ethos, practice and environment. Children and adults begin to see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and advocates for fairness and children’s rights, both locally and globally.
Progress towards the RRSA tends to happen organically. What we are aiming for is:
- Teaching and Learning about rights: for the whole school community through training, curriculum, assemblies, topics, focus days/weeks, displays;
- Teaching and Learning through rights: by modelling rights respecting language and attitudes, and making strategic decisions that involve students;
- Being ambassadors for the rights of others: developing as rights respecting citizens.
Gold Award
Achieving Gold: Rights Respecting means there is evidence that:
- Your school has explicitly adopted a child rights approach based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and has embedded it in school policy, practice and culture;
- Children, young people and adults in your school have a thorough understanding of child rights, and rights respecting attitudes and language are embedded across the school;
- RRSA has had a positive impact on children and young people’s learning and wellbeing;
- Students see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and are advocates for social justice, fairness and children’s rights at home and abroad.
- Children and young people also play an increasingly leading role in driving progress. At Gold: Rights Respecting, you are aiming to intensify and broaden:
- Teaching and Learning about rights: for the whole school community through training, curriculum, assemblies, topics, focus days/weeks, displays;
- Teaching and Learning through rights: by modelling rights respecting language and attitudes and making strategic decisions that involve students;
- Being ambassadors for the rights of others: developing as rights respecting citizens.
Ms Victoria Harris, RRSA Co-ordinator