At Abbey Primary School, we are proud to be on our journey to becoming a Rights Respecting School, working towards achieving the Silver Award as part of the UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA). This important initiative helps schools across the country to put children’s rights at the heart of school life.

 

What is the RRSA?

The UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award aims to promote and protect the rights of all children, ensuring they feel safe, are respected, and have every opportunity to thrive, grow and succeed. A Rights Respecting School teaches about children’s rights and embeds these rights in everything it does — from classroom teaching and relationships to leadership, behaviour, and school ethos.

At Abbey Primary, we believe that when children understand their rights, they become more confident, responsible, and active citizens of both their school and the wider world.

 

Our RRSA Journey So Far

We are currently working towards achieving our Silver: Rights Aware Award. This means we are building a strong foundation by:

• Teaching about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) across our curriculum
• Developing a school culture where children’s voices are listened to and respected (Article 12)
• Promoting rights in assemblies, class discussions and through displays across the school
• Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for themselves, their learning, and their community

Through this journey, our children are learning the values of respect, dignity, inclusion and fairness, and are beginning to understand how these rights apply to themselves and others.

 

Next Steps Towards Silver

To achieve the Silver Award, we are continuing to:

• Raise awareness of children's rights among pupils, staff and parents
• Empower children to speak up and make decisions through groups such as the School Council and other pupil voice initiatives
• Embed rights-respecting language in school policies and everyday interactions
• Celebrate children’s rights through themed days, assemblies and special projects

 

Our Long-Term Goal: The Gold Award

Once we have achieved Silver, we will continue our commitment to becoming a Gold: Rights Respecting School. This means children's rights will be fully embedded in all aspects of school life and culture, ensuring that every child at Abbey feels heard, respected, and valued every day.

 

At Abbey Primary School, we believe that teaching children about their rights helps them to respect the rights of others, both locally and globally. We are proud to be developing a school community where children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to make a positive difference in the world.