Rights Respecting School Award
UNICEF’s Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA)
is based on the rights and responsibilities enshrined in the
articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC). The UNCRC is a set of rights for all children,
agreed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1969. This
comprehensive set of human rights was necessary as children are
easy to hurt, frighten and harm; they are especially vulnerable and
require protection. There are 4 defined sets of rights linked
to survival, protection, development and participation and the
UNCRC provides a values framework for all school improvement
processes including the Department for Children, Schools and
Families’ Social Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL)
programme.
In Lincolnshire the RRSA is delivered by CfBT
Lincolnshire School Improvement Service in partnership with
UNICEF. CfBT Lincolnshire School Improvement
Service is currently working with a number of schools
(Special, Secondary and Primary) on this award. To date
6 schools in Lincolnshire have achieved Level 1 of the award, the
first school being Lincoln St Francis Special School.
By achieving this award schools are committed
to “equal rights, mutual respect and shared responsibility in
their school, their community, our country and in the world.”
St Francis Special School have also achieved Level 2 of the
award.
The RRSA is premised on the understanding that
if children want to achieve they have to feel included, have a
sense of belonging and understanding that they matter.
Children and young people can raise their achievement at school and
improve the quality of their own and their families’ lives, if they
learn exactly what their rights and responsibilities are according
to the UNCRC and use this understanding as a guide to
living.
UNICEF’s RRSA inspires and supports schools
who want to provide children and young people with this
rights-respecting guide to living. For schools embarking on
the process, this does not mean additional work burden; it is about
enriching further the life of the school. The UNICEF values
provide the coherence to unify all the agendas schools needs to
absorb including, ECM (Every Child Matters), Community Cohesion,
Behaviour and Attendance, Inclusion, Equal Achievement, Pupil
Voice, Global Citizenship, Behaviour and Attendance, Inclusion,
Equal Oportunities, Anti-Bullying and so on.
The process for working towards RRSA
accreditation in Lincolnshire is attached. For
further details please contact Sara Gregory at sgregory@cfbt.com.
UNICEF UK –
Rights Respecting School Award
RRSA Standards
UNCRC - Summary
UNICEF UK
Website
Little Book of Children's
Rights and Reponsibilities
Rights for Every
Child
Useful
Resource - Hampshire Rights and Responsibilities Website
Stories of
Positive Change - New Milton Junior School, Hampshire