United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
We are extremely excited to be starting our journey towards becoming a Rights Respecting School. We believe that it is extremely important to not only teach children about their rights but to promote and respect them through our curriculum, school values and ethos.
As a staff team, we believe that it is our role as adults to embody the spirit of the convention and help children to recognise that they have a responsibility to ensure their actions don't infringe upon other people's rights. This helps children to become considerate global citizens who can recognise the difference between a want and a need, as well as helping them to develop empathy for others.
There are four key areas of impact for children at a Rights Respecting school; wellbeing, participation, relationships and self-esteem.
The difference that a Rights Respecting School makes goes beyond the school gates, making a positive impact on the whole community:
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Children are healthier and happier
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Children feel safe
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Children have better relationships
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Children become active and involved in school life and the wider world
To find out more about the 54 articles of the convention, please visit the UNICEF website.
Article 31
Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.
Article 29
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.
How do our school values link to the UNCRC?
We believe that every child should develop the ability to overcome any challenges they face. We strive to teach our children how to manage stress, frustration and worry by encouraging them to build their self-confidence and by giving them the tools needed to help them to regulate their emotions whilst trying to find a solution to the problem at hand. We also believe it is important for us to help children to develop empathy so that they can recognise when someone else is struggling and be able to offer them help or a reminder of the ‘Power of Yet’.
In line with article 12 (Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. This right applies at all times, for example during immigration proceedings, housing decisions or the child’s day-to-day home life) we have worked with our pupils to think about the type of school we want Kinloch Rannoch to be. The children were able to identify that they wanted our school to be a kind place where everyone is respected. They also decided that it was important to celebrate creativity and resilience as these are important steps towards reaching our aspirations.
One of the main threads throughout the 54 articles of the UNCRC is respect. As a community we believe that respect is the key to treating everyone fairly and as equals. We embrace and celebrate our differences as these make us unique and we respect each other’s opinions, traditions and beliefs. Mutual respect is crucial in schools as it lays the foundation for creating a safe environment where we are all able to trust one another.
We believe that the rights of children form the foundation of their education - academically, socially and emotionally. This provides children with the confidence and knowledge to fulfil whatever their aspirations may be. It is the role of our school to encourage all children to try their very best and find solutions to any problems they may need to overcome in order to succeed. These skills will help children prepare to go out into the world and aim for the stars.
Our children were all in agreement that kindness was an important value for our school to have. They see this as looking after each other and cheering each other up when they seem sad or hurt. Kindness can also be seen as being treated fairly, sharing items, listening to each other and respecting people’s opinions, even if we don’t agree. These are themes that run throughout the UNCRC as all children are entitled to these rights to the same degree as each other.
Creativity does not only refer to artistic talents or hobbies but instead it is a willingness to look at things differently, to be open to new ideas and to ‘think outside the box’. Articles 28, 29 and 31 refer to children’s rights to an education or opportunities that allow them to develop their creativity and sense of self.
Article 28
Every child has the right to an education.