A Bronze Rights Respecting School

What is a Rights Respecting School?

A rights respecting School puts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) at the heart of a school’s culture and ethos to improve pupil wellbeing and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their fullest potential.

The Rights Respecting School Award recognises achievement in putting the (UN CRC) at the heart of a school’s planning, policies, practice and ethos.

Our whole school community decided that the following 6 articles from the UN CRC are the most important for our school:

At Featherstone Primary and Nursery School, we have received the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Bronze Recognition of Commitment. We are now working hard to achieve the Silver: Rights Aware award.

See the Rights Respecting School award website for more details:

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Rights must be:

Universal: ALL children, ALL the time.

Unconditional: They are not a reward….you don’t have to earn them.

Inherent: They are yours…you are born with them.

Indivisible: They come as a whole package. They are all equally important.

Inalienable: Rights cannot be lost or given away.

Why are children learning about their rights at school?

At Featherstone, all children learn about their rights and responsibilities. They learn to associate rights with needs and understand the difference between their rights and ‘wants’. They learn that if they have rights, they need to respect the rights of others. The children realise that they have a responsibility to themselves, to ensure that they take the opportunities that their rights offer.

Research has shown that when children are taught in school about their rights and responsibilities under the UNCRC, they are more respecting of the rights of others. Children who have learnt about their rights and responsibilities have:

• a better understanding of what it means to have rights and responsibilities
• a more positive attitude to school
• better relationships with their classmates and teachers
• higher self-esteem
• an increased awareness of how to be a global citizen

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

• Take the time to ask your child what he/she has learnt recently regarding children’s rights and responsibilities. Try to think of examples from your own experiences, or from the media, of rights being respected or denied.
• Complete the Article of the Month activities with your child.
• Discuss how your child or your family can promote respect for rights, or help those whose rights have been violated.
• Model using rights and responsibility language with your children.
• Ask your child’s opinion on children’s rights.

Article of the Month