Rights Respecting Schools
at st. michael’s CE (VA) junior school
What is the Rights Respecting Schools initiative?
What are children's rights?
What does the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child say?
There are 42 articles in the Convention, but they can be summed up as follows:
The right to a childhood
Every child has the right to a safe childhood, protected from violence, abuse and exploitation. Every child has the right to grow up in a family environment, free from adult responsibilities and with the right to play.
The right to an education
Every child has the right to an education that develops their personality, talents and abilities to the full.
The right to be healthy
Every child has the right to health care, clean water, nutritious food and a safe environment so they can be as healthy as possible.
The right to be treated fairly
All children have the same rights whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say and whatever their family background.
Article 29 is particularly important for schools:
So how did we start our journey?
First of all our Senior Leadership Team put the Rights Respecting Schools initiative onto our School Development Plan.
Then our teachers were taught about Rights Respecting Schools and talked about what we would have to do to become one.
We let parents know by sending information home and putting up displays around the school.
Each year, Mrs Bowcher works with members of the Rights Respecting School Committee and the School Council. They are in charge of running the project and achieving the outcomes of our action plan.