Right Respecting Schools
UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award
At Colmers Farm Primary School, children’s well‑being is at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to have achieved the UNICEF Rights Respecting School GOLD Award, recognising our strong, sustained commitment to placing children’s rights at the centre of our school’s ethos, culture and daily practice.
Our aim is to help every pupil grow into a confident, caring, resilient and responsible young person both within school and in the wider community. Achieving GOLD reflects the way our pupils not only learn about their rights but live them, champion them and respect the rights of others. 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?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a set of 54 Articles established in 1989. These Articles outline the rights that every child under the age of 18 is entitled to, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, language, ability or family background.
The UNCRC ensures that all children have the right to:
- Be treated with dignity and fairness
- Be protected from harm
- Develop to their full potential
- Have their voices heard and taken seriously
Almost every country in the world has signed the UNCRC and it underpins all of UNICEF’s work globally. Every adult is a duty bearer, responsible for ensuring children’s rights are upheld and 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.