Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA)
UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. Every child, no matter who they are or where they live, has the right to grow up safe, happy and healthy.
What are Child Rights – UNCRC?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a legally-binding agreement describing what children need to: survive, grow and live up to their full potential.
All children everywhere in the world are entitled to all of these rights.
The Convention also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all of their rights.
What does it mean to be a Rights Respecting School?
A rights-respecting school is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
What is the Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA)?
The Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) is a Unicef UK programme that aims to put children’s rights at the heart of schools in the UK.
Unicef work with thousands of schools across the country to embed children’s rights in their ethos and culture to improve well-being and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential.
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.
Norbury’s ethos is centred around our school Behaviour Code which promotes Rights, Respect and Responsibility across the whole school community.
As part of this, the school is working towards the Rights Respecting Schools Award.
This is an opportunity for our school to gain recognition for the policies and practices already firmly embedded within the Norbury community. The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice.
Through assemblies, displays and the curriculum, the children are learning about our human rights – and the impact of being denied our human rights.
Children’s Rights are embedded within our child centred, creative, skills based curriculum where there is a strong emphasis on the voice of our children, mutual respect, social justice and global citizenship.
We are proud of the enthusiasm and positive attitudes that our children have demonstrated towards each other, our local community and the wider world.
Does the UNCRC talk about responsibilities?
The children are taught that they have the responsibility to respect the rights of others.
These matching rights and responsibility statements are created by the children in their PSHE lessons and then displayed in each class as their Class Charter.
Children are taught that their rights are UNCONDITIONAL meaning they are not a reward and not dependant on them performing an action to get them.
What about children’s respect for the rights of others?
UNICEF has shown that when children are taught about their rights under the CRC, they are more respectful of the rights of others.
Impact of Rights
Embedding rights into school life gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible and active citizens.
We, at Norbury, expect that the impact of becoming a Rights Respecting School will be positive for children, staff and the whole community.
How can parents support their child to learn about the Convention at home?
All adults (parents, teachers or the government) are known as Duty Bearers. It is our responsibility to make children aware of their rights and to act if their rights are not being met.
Resources
Convention of the Rights of a Child (English)
Convention on the Rights of the Child (Arabic)
Convention on the Rights of the Child ( Somali)
