Rights Respecting School

Priory Integrated College is a UNICEF Rights Respecting Silver Award school.  This means that we are a Rights Aware UNICEF school community that shows good progress towards embedding children’s rights in our policies, practice and ethos.  At Priory we promote knowledge and understanding of the Convention throughout our school community. Our pupils are aware of their rights and how these rights are protected and promoted by all duty bearers in school.  Pupils feel listened to and see how their voices are included in decisions through the RRS Steering Group and School Council.  Our school ethos is embedded in ‘Accomplishing More Together’ and at the heart of this is upholding the UNICEF Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Our pupils are also aware that they are part of a global community and that they play a role in promoting and protecting the rights of children across the world.  They have taken part in the UNICEF OutRight campaign to engage in challenging governments to take more action on climate change.  Pupils engaged in activities that raised awareness of how the impact of climate change is taking away the rights of other children. They also suggested how, as a school community, everyone could take steps to reduce the action of climate change.

Rights Respecting Steering Group

This group of pupils is made up from Form and Deputy Form Captains. They meet every half term to discuss what issues they feel could be improved within our school community.  By linking these issues to the appropriate UNCRC Article they are able to justify their advocation for change when they discuss this at School Council.  They have been an integral part of reviewing and implementing school policies.

Duty Bearers

All adults within the school community have the role of Duty Bearers as part of our UNICEF Rights Aware status.  This means that all adults know the UNCRC Articles and seek to protect and promote children’s rights. This means that within all areas of our school’s working life, children’s rights are the focus.

Know Your Rights The Convention has 54 Articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life that all children everywhere are entitled to.  It also includes how adults and governments must work together to ensure all children enjoy their rights.

Article 1-42 directly applies to children.  Article 43-54 are how governments and adults work together to make sure all children get their rights.

A- Rights are for ALL children - UNIVERSAL

B- Rights are there at BIRTH - INHERENT

C- Rights CANNOT be taken away - INALIENABLE

D- Rights DO NOT have to be earned - UNCONDITIONAL

E- All Rights are EQUALLY important - INDIVISIBLE

Further Information

To find out more about UNICEF and Rights Respecting Schools click the link below.

https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/