Right Respecting Schools
UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award
At Colmers Farm Primary School we are committed to ensuring children’s well-being is at the heart of everything we do. We aim to help our pupils grow into confident, caring, resilient and responsible young people both in school and within the wider community.
We are a Silver UNICEF Rights Respecting School, and we will soon be working towards achieving the Gold Award. We are embedding further the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children (UNCRC) within our whole school ethos. Please click on the image below.
What is the UNCRC?
In 1989 UNICEF established a set of 54 Articles known as the Convention for the Rights of the Child. The convention applies to every child under the age of 18, without discrimination, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever their family background. Almost every country in the world has signed this convention to uphold the Articles within their country and do all it can to protect children’s rights. The convention underpins everything UNICEF does around the world.
The convention recognises that all children and young people have the right to be treated with dignity and fairness, to be protected, to develop to their full potential and to participate. Every adult is a duty bearer, and it is their responsibility to ensure children’s rights are protected.
What is the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA)?
The RRSA focuses on children’s rights in schools and takes a whole-school approach to child rights and human rights education. A UNICEF Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
By learning about their rights, our pupils also learn about the importance of respecting the rights of others i.e., their responsibilities. Pupils at Colmers Farm are encouraged to reflect on how their behaviour and actions affect those around them which allows us to build and maintain a positive and safe learning environment for all.
RRSA links with our School Values and British Values as well as the work we do promoting Global Citizenship and Equal Opportunities. The RRSA also supports and promotes Healthy eating.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) - UNICEF UK Link to the website
Colmers Farm Primary School Home-School Agreement
Please click on the image below.
Children Friendly Rights Respecting Articles
Please click on the image below to view the Rights Respecting Articles.
Rights Respecting Vocabulary Progression Map
Sustainable Development Goals and Children’s Rights
This year, as part of our journey towards achieving the Gold Rights Respecting Schools Award, we have focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how these link to children’s rights.
The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 global aims created by the United Nations to help end poverty, protect the planet and ensure a fairer future for everyone. These goals help pupils to understand how global issues impact children’s rights around the world.
Through this work, pupils have developed an understanding of how specific Sustainable Development Goals link directly to children’s rights. For example, SDG 1 (No Poverty) links to Article 27 (the right to an adequate standard of living), SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) links to Article 24 (the right to health), and SDG 4 (Quality Education) links to Article 28 (the right to education). This has supported pupils in recognising how global issues can impact the rights of children both locally and worldwide.
To introduce the Sustainable Development Goals, we shared the following child-friendly video with all pupils across the school:
This video supports pupils in understanding that the SDGs are a global plan to improve life for everyone by 2030, including areas such as poverty, education, health and the environment. It helped to build a shared understanding across the school and provided a starting point for linking global issues to children’s rights.
This year, members of staff have planned and delivered classroom assemblies based on a range of Sustainable Development Goals. These assemblies supported pupils to:
- understand global challenges,
- explore how children’s rights are affected,
- reflect on how they can make a positive difference.
We are continuing to promote the Sustainable Development Goals across the school through our curriculum, assemblies and wider school activities, supporting our pupils to develop as informed, responsible and active global citizens.