Unicef Rights Respecting School: Silver Rights Aware
Rights Respecting School
Here at Mowbray, we are proud to be a Rights Respecting School. We successfully achieved the UNICEF Rights Respecting silver accreditation, which recognises our commitment to creating a safe and inspiring place to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Developing a Rights Respecting ethos in our school ensures that these values are embedded in daily school life, giving children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens, both locally and globally.
What does it mean to be a rights-respecting school?
The Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) 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 all children realise their potential. The award is based on principles of equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation.
Together young people and the school community learn about children’s rights, putting them into practice every day. The Award is not just about what children do but also, importantly, what adults do. In Rights Respecting Schools, children’s rights are promoted and realised, adults and children work towards this goal together. The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school community and beyond.
What are children’s rights?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC, is the basis of all of Unicef’s work. It is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.
The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights. Every child has rights, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status.
Click for more information on the 54 Articles Children's Rights Articles
What does this mean for children at Mowbray?
Achieving Silver: Rights Aware means that we have evidence of good practice in the three Rights Respecting Strands:
Strand A: Teaching and learning about rights
Strand B: Teaching and learning through rights – ethos and relationships
Strand C: Teaching and learning for rights – participation, empowerment and action
At Mowbray, we teach children and the school community about children’s rights through weekly assemblies, focus days/weeks, displays, our curriculum and training. We teach and learn through rights by ensuring that everyone is modelling rights respecting language and attitudes, while building positive, respectful relationships and involving pupils in decisions that involve them. We empower children to become rights respecting citizens.