As a Silver Rights Respecting school, we are always learning about our rights. The following are fantastic examples of our class charters, which the duty bearers and rights holders have signed. Remember a duty bearer is an adult over the age of 18 and a rights holder is anyone under the age of 18. We all have an important job to do in ensuring all children’s rights are being met and the class charters are a fantastic way of reminding us all of our responsibilities.    

Why the Rights Respecting School Award?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is based on an analysis of what children need in order to thrive. These needs can be grouped into four categories:

• To survive as a fit and healthy person
• To be protected from harm and abuse
• To develop physically, mentally and socially
• To participate as an active citizen

Some of the Articles of CRC

Every child has the right to say what they think in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously.

Article 12

Every child must be free to say what they think and to seek and receive information of any kind as long as it is within the law. Article 13

Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free.  Secondary education must be available to every child.  Discipline in schools must respect children’s human dignity.  Wealthy countries must help poorer countries achieve this. Article 28

Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full.  It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment. Article 29

UNICEF UK believes that the principles and values of the CRC should be embedded in the ethos and curriculum of every school.  This is the purpose of the Rights Respecting School Award. UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) provides a framework to help schools to use CRC as the basis for their ethos.  In a rights respecting school, children learn about their rights and the responsibilities that are implied.  Children learn to associate rights with needs and distinguish between their rights and ‘wants’. They learn that if they have rights, they need to respect the rights of others. 

The Committee

Who are the Brownmead Rights Respecting Steering Committee?

What is their role?

The steering group work together to develop and maintain a school community based on equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation.  Their job is to empower all children at Brownmead to enjoy and exercise their rights and to promote the rights of others locally and globally.