Rights Respecting School
At Down Hall Primary School we are a Rights Respecting School and have been awarded Gold status by UNICEF. Read our latest UNICEF accreditation report here.
Why be a Rights Respecting School?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is based on what children need to thrive. These needs can be grouped into four categories:
To survive as a fit and healthy person
To stay safe and be protected from harm and abuse
To develop physically, mentally and socially to be the best they can be
To participate in the world as an active citizen
So, what are Children’s Rights?
Children’s Rights are different to Human Rights as they are specific to children. Most countries have agreed to them and they form the basis of all Government laws that affect children. The Rights are for All children, everywhere all of the time. Children are automatically entitled to them when they are Born. These rights Cannot be taken away, Do not have to be earned and are all Equally important. This is the ABCDE of Children’s Rights!
You can take a look here at this Pocket Book of Children’s Rights which details all the Rights in the UNCRC.
At Down Hall we are fully committed to these Rights. They are at the heart of everything that we do; our policies, procedures, statements, visions and also at the heart of our teaching.
What does this mean?
We teach children about their Rights so that they are informed. Classrooms operate on a mutual respect of Children’s Rights and each class develops a Class Charter every September which is agreed to by all children and adults.
Our Curriculum Rationale is, ‘Learning to take care of ourselves, each other, our school and our world.’ We think it is important that our children develop a wider world view, a deeper understanding of community and of how life can be experienced differently, both locally and globally. We want our children to be well equipped to play active lives in the world around them as they grow, learn and evolve into the next generation of adults.
Article 12 states, ‘Every child has a right to have their voice heard in matters that affect them’. At Down Hall our children do just that via the school council where ideas can be developed and whole school changes instigated. We are always keen to allow further opportunities to fulfil Article 12, for example, by taking part in ‘The Big Ask’ survey from the Children’s Commissioner.
