Support for Schools to Promote Children’s Human Rights

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was drawn up to ensure that universal rights of children are upheld throughout the world. It the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and came into force in the UK in 1992.

While many argue that it is impossible to realise children’s rights in our coercive state school system, UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award is a step in the right direction.

Rights Respecting Schools Award

Children’s charity, UNICEF UK has developed a programme called Rights Respecting Schools which helps primary, secondary and special needs schools to use the UNCRC as a values framework, so that children’s rights are embedded into the school ethos and culture. The programme is based on principals of equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation.

Your school can join almost 5,000 other schools up and down the country who are working through the Award.

In order to gain recognition as a Rights Respecting School, there are two levels of self-evaluation. It is a whole-school approach involving teachers, students and parents.

Find out more in this short film: