A Rights Respecting School

Charlton Primary School has now received the ‘Silver: Rights Aware’ certificate in the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA). The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond, acknowledging that children’s rights are learned, understood and lived in our school. This aligns well with our ethos, equality work and vision, by putting children’s rights at the heart of our school.  

UNICEF was particularly impressed by the children’s understanding of their rights and passion that these be upheld. The visitors observed the children of Charlton for speaking impressively about the right to be treated fairly, to be kept safe from harm, to have a healthy environment and to have a meaningful education. We were also praised for Charlton’s ‘positive relationships that are central to the school’s ethos’ and our ‘good practice in providing opportunities for a diverse group of children to be at the heart of decision-making influencing and shaping the life and work of the school’. 

We are now building on this fantastic work by working towards our GOLD award. This will involve a greater focus on citizenship and the children’s role in standing up for the rights of children locally and globally. Our new Rights Champions will be central in making this happen.  

Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as our guide, we are working with more UK schools than almost any other organisation. Over 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and nearly 5,000 schools up and down the country are working through the Award. Schools work with us on a journey to become fully Rights Respecting.

The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond.