UNICEF is the world's leading organisation working for children and their rights. The RRSA is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children's rights and encouraging adults, children, and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Silver is given to schools that make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into its ethos and curriculum.
More than 1,300 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have achieved Silver, and over 600 schools have been awarded Gold, the next step up and highest accolade granted by UNICEF UK.
Lara Badirkhan, Nursery Teacher and RRSA Lead, said, "We are incredibly proud to have achieved the Silver: Rights Aware award. We are the first Ark school school to do so! Our whole community has embraced and enjoyed learning about our rights and responsibilities and there has been a notable positive impact upon the children and staff and on the school's ethos and environment. Children's rights are at the heart of everything that we do. Thank you to everyone for your commitment to being a Rights Aware school!"
The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school's planning, policies and practice. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children's rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Programme Director Martin Russell said, "Children at Ark Brunel Primary Academy have shown a really good grasp of the Convention and a strong understanding of the wider world. It is great to see how much the Convention underpins the school's work and values, in the classroom and at playtime. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm that all the children and staff showed about learning about rights. We are very pleased to be awarding Silver; Rights Aware to Ark Brunel Primary Academy and look forward to continuing our Rights Respecting work with them."
The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK, including those in an early years setting. Currently, it works with nearly 5,000 primary schools, secondary schools, schools for children and young people with special educational needs and pupil referral units across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Schools have reported a positive impact on pupil behaviour, relationships and well-being by enhancing pupils' self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards.