Rights Respecting School
What is a Silver Rights Respecting School?
We are very proud that Newall Green Primary School have achieved the UNICEF Rights Respecting silver award: Rights Aware and that we are on our journey to achieve gold. 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. As a Silver Rights Respecting School, we are committed to promoting and fulfilling the rights of all children as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC or CRC). By embedding the UNCRC into every aspect of our school life, we can ensure that every child's rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled. We actively promote children's rights, equality, and diversity, creating a nurturing environment where every child feels respected, valued, and empowered. Our pupils will learn about their rights by putting them into practice every day. A Rights Respecting School models rights and respect in all its relationships.
How Does This Help Children?
Fosters a Sense of Belonging: In our school, children are encouraged to express their opinions and have a say in matters that affect them. This empowers them to feel valued and included in the school community, thereby fostering a sense of belonging.
Promotes Empathy and Understanding: By learning about the rights of others, children develop empathy and understanding towards different perspectives and backgrounds. This cultivates a culture of respect and tolerance within the school environment.
Enhances Well-being and Mental Health: Understanding their rights and feeling respected can have a positive impact on children's well-being and mental health. It provides them with a sense of security and validation, contributing to their overall happiness and self-esteem.
Encourages Responsibility and Accountability: Being aware of their rights comes with the understanding of responsibilities. Children in a Silver Rights Respecting School learn to respect not only their own rights but also the rights of their peers, teachers, and the wider community. This instils a sense of accountability and social responsibility from a young age.
Prepares for Active Citizenship: By nurturing a rights-respecting culture, schools equip children with the knowledge and skills to become active, informed, and responsible citizens in society. They learn the importance of standing up for justice, equality, and human rights, shaping them into advocates for positive change.
How do we put this into practice?
Each year, a school council representative is voted for in each of the KS2 classes. These children are the Rights Respecting steering group and play a key role in driving Rights Respecting through school and supporting our ethos to learn about and through rights. The primary job of a school council is to represent the views of the students and improve their school environment. They discuss issues raised by classmates, organise events, and work with teachers to make decisions benefiting the whole school community. The School Council meet each week to work through the action plan which is created at the start of the year.
Every week, each class has an assembly on the article of the week and use this as an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and opinions. Please speak to your child about which articles they have looked at recently and it would be wonderful if you could complete any of the activities with your child at home. You can find the articles that we have done so far on our website Newall Green Primary School: Article of the week. Rights Respecting is embedded within our whole curriculum and as well as assemblies, children learn about rights in their PSHE lessons as well as the wider curriculum. We also have a very special Rights Ranger who travels around school to learn about children's rights whilst spending a week in each of our classes. You can find out more about their experiences on our website Newall Green Primary School: Rights Ranger.
The council worked closely with staff and SLT to revise our behaviour policy and created a whole school charter (please see attached files). Each class also works together to create their own charter which is adapted each term. As a class, the children decide on two or three articles which they will focus on that term. They then need to agree what those rights will look like in their classroom and the aims and responsibilities of the Rights Holders and Duty Bearers. Please speak to your child to find out more about the articles their class have chosen for this term.
We really hope that you will be able to support our school on our journey towards becoming a Unicef UK gold Rights Respecting School. Please look through the information attached and follow the link to find out more about the Convention on the Rights of the Child unicef.org.uk/crc.
How can parents and carers get involved?
A big thank you to all of the parents and carers who attended the information workshop with Mrs Campbell in October. It was a wonderful opportunity to find out more about Rights Respecting, how it supports our pupils and what we can do to learn about and through rights at school, home and in the wider community. If you weren't able to make it, there will be another one later in the year so please look out for that date. Take a look at the slides below, which were shared in the meeting.
If you would like to be more involved in helping us to support all pupils to learn about and through rights, then please get in touch. In the meantime, please speak to your child to find out what they have learnt about Rights Respecting this week.
Silver celebration lunch
Class Charters
Example work created by our children
We are very social...