Rights Respecting Schools
Rights Respecting Schools
We are pleased to announce that Cumran Primary School has achieved UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award Level 1.
The assessment was carried out on Wednesday 6th May by Deborah Trainor (EA) and David McGimpsey (UNICEF Education Officer). They commented that they were very impressed at how the UNCRC has been integrated into the policy and practice throughout the school.
The assessment process focused on the four aspects of the Action Plan and allowed the school to demonstrate the following:
- Leadership & Management for embedding the values of the UNCRC in the life of the school.
- Teachers, other adults and pupils know and understand the UNCRC and its relevance to the school ethos and curriculum.
- Teaching and Learning in Rights Respecting Classrooms.
- Pupils actively participate in decision making throughout the school.
Please see a copy of our Level One Assessment Report below.
The Rights Respecting Schools Award supports schools across the UK to embed children’s rights in their ethos and culture. 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 develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential. The benefits of this award are sited as being a decrease in bullying, an improvement in achievement and participation; a positive effect on attitudes and global awareness; and a more inclusive caring school environment.
Have a look at some of our Rights Respecting displays below.
Why are children learning about their rights at school?
In signing the UNCRC all governments have responsibility to make both children and adults aware of these rights. Schools are the best place to reach the vast majority of children. Unicef uses the UNCRC as a framework for its work for all the world’s children and has developed the Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA)
How does teaching about children’s rights fit in with the curriculum at Cumran Primary School?
We want children at Cumran Primary School to learn about their rights and feel empowered throughout their education. The teaching of rights lends itself incredibly well to many subject areas such as the World Around Us and PDMU. All teaching staff and support staff, including the lunchtime staff have received training on the UNCRC.
What about children’s respect for the rights of others?
It is made clear that children have rights as expressed in the UNCRC and they share these with all other children in the world. Research has shown that when children are taught in school about their rights under the UNCRC, they are more respecting of the rights of others.
Children who have learnt about their rights show
- A better understanding of what it means to have rights
- More positive attitudes to school
- Better relationships with their classmates and teachers
- Higher self esteem.
How can parents support their child to learn about the Convention at home?
- Take the time to ask your child what he/she has learned recently regarding children’s rights
- Discuss the ideas learned in class, and try to think of examples from your own experiences, or from the media, of rights being respected or denied.
- Discuss how your child or your family can promote respect for rights, or help those whose rights have been denied
- Ask your child’s opinions on rights.
To read the full Convention on the Rights of the Child, please see below.
What have we been doing in school?
On the 20th November we took part in Outright – a nationwide celebration of child rights. Cumran Primary School is one of hundreds of Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools across the country to be speaking out on children’s rights. On this day Children took part in special assembly and will completed rights related activities within class.
As a champion of the convention, Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation, works to protect and promote the rights of every child. Unicef works to empower children to be the best they can be in a society that reflects and respects their rights. Outright celebrated the role the convention plays in helping to achieve this.
We also have a group of children who are fighting for our rights in Cumran Primary School. The Rights Warriors meet once every two weeks.
Their role is to:
- develop and deliver the school’s RRS action plan
- ensure that the whole school is aware of the Rights Respecting Schools Award
- provide a link between children and young people, teachers, senior management team, governors and the whole school community
