Rights Respecting School

INTENT

The award aims to improve the lives of children in the UK by taking a whole school approach in putting children’s rights at the heart of school policy and practice in line with the school’s values resulting in:

1. Becoming active and engaged citizens;
2. Knowing how to feel safe in school and what this looks like;
3. Creating supportive relationships and being respectful towards peers and adults;  

Child Rights Education, through RRSA, often enhances and strengthens effective practice within a school, with adults also creating more positive relationships and enjoying their role. Rights have been described as a ‘heartbeat’ in school life; like a ‘golden thread’ or ‘stick of rock’ that underpins and informs their practice. In a Rights Respecting School, a child rights-based approach underpins school culture, ethos and relationships as well as the more tangible changes to practice, policy and environment. When children leave Bader Primary School they are well prepared in recognising life is a fantastic adventure to enjoy.

KEY Focus

Active

Safe In School

Respectful

Children demonstrate skills taught during each lesson and are actively involved in promoting their rights through verbal interaction.

Children recognise what it means to be safe in school and can express their feelings to show what it looks like. They can say if a situation makes them feel unsafe.

Children are taught the Bader Values alongside the Convention of Rights enabling them to express opinions in a respectful manner.

IMPLEMENTATION

Broad and Balanced Curriculum
EYFS: Pupils within EYFS undertake activities based around the rights, which are play based, through scenarios and videos. Some activities are linked to articles through tweets.
KS1 & 2: All pupils from Year 1 to 6 have take part in assemblies and activities to understand and promote different Articles within the Convention of Rights.
Lesson Structure: Each Article is introduced through an assembly. The ambassadors then take the lead in each class to carry out a task related to that Article. The responses are then displayed, entered into a floor book or added to the ‘Rights Respecting Read’ Newsletter that goes to parents termly. 
What a Good Lesson Looks Like: Each lesson begins with a recap of the assembly and which article is being covered. The task is shared with the class through the ambassador. This should be discussed and ideas placed on the given format. The lesson is summarised through the use of questions and reflection on how they will move their learning forward.
Assessment:The children are formatively assessed through AfL techniques such as questioning and prompts so that misconceptions and misunderstanding in information can be addressed.
Cross Curricular Links: Where possible, links will be made to current topics, which will engage and make learning relevant.

Enrichment
Children in each class have the opportunity to become an ambassador, which enables them to develop their leadership skills and be responsible for collating and sharing opinions and tasks. The ambassadors have the final say on the newsletter before it goes out to parents.

Leadership
Staff members and children (one from each class) are part of the steering group, which is used to promote the Convention of Rights. Staff support children in producing high quality pieces of work, such as the newsletter and using technology. The ambassadors speak to assessors from the Convention to explain what we do.

 IMPACT

The Unicef Rights Respecting Schools Award improves the lives of children in the UK by taking a whole school approach to putting children’s rights at the heart of school policy and practice.
Child rights education plays a key role in developing children and young people as active, engaged local and global citizens. Children in Rights Respecting Schools feel safe in school, respected by and enjoy supportive relationships with the adults who care for them and engaged with their local community, their education and the global agenda.
Child Rights Education through RRSA enhances and strengthens effective practice within a school. Rights have been described as a ‘heartbeat’ in school life; like a ‘golden thread’ or ‘stick of rock’ that underpins and informs their practice.
In a Rights Respecting School a child rights-based approach underpins school culture, ethos and relationships as well as the more tangible changes to practice, policy and environment.
By the third stage of the Award, Gold, schools achieve positive performance across a broad range of outcomes showing how we have been successful:

1. Children know about their rights and support the rights of others locally and globally. They can talk about these rights to other children and adults.
2. Children feel happier in themselves. Children will complete questionnaires more positively.
3. Children feel safe in school. They will describe how they feel safe and what is in place.
4. Children are engaged in their education. Children’s levels of attainment will increase. They will challenge other children if they are stopping them from learning.
5. Adults have positive relationships and enjoy their job. Underpinning the transformation that takes place in Rights Respecting Schools is a theory of change designed to bring about sustainable, long term transformation. Staff in school will be more positive on questionnaires and staff voice tasks.

Evidence: Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Tasks completed and on display in school.
Floor book with evidence from previous articles exploredNewspaper articles sent to parents termly – Rights Respecting Read.
Ambassador book with some of the tasks completed.
Pupil Voice
Ambassador voice
Staff Voice

Pupil Voice:
Children are most familiar with Article 28 and 31.
There is a range of other article selections from children.Children are not sure whether children in their class talk about rights.
When asked which articles they knew well 2, 24 and 13 were most popular.
Children enjoy rights.
Children want new ambassadors next year (2021/2022)
Teachers talk about rights.
They remember going for the silver award.
Children are happier as they have a voice.