We are a Silver - Rights Aware School where both children and the whole school community are working towards the following:
- Teacher and Learning about children’s rights: for the whole school community through training, curriculum, assemblies, topics, focus days/weeks, displays. The UNCRC is at the heart of teaching and learning at Marner.
- Teaching and Learning through rights: by modelling rights respecting language and attitudes and making strategic decisions that involve pupils. The practice of rights is embedded within our schools’ vision, values, ethos, shared language, and child-centred approach.
- Teaching and Learning for the rights of others: developing pupils as rights respecting citizens. Our pupils are empowered to enjoy and exercise their rights and to promote the rights of others locally, nationally, and globally.
Silver Award
We achieved our silver accrediation in May 2022. Have a read of our RRSA Silver Accreditation Report and take a look through our evidence:
What are 'Children's Rights'?
Every child is entitled to specific human rights. These rights are detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child. There are 54 articles which explain all the rights that children hold legally across the world.
“Article 1 (definition of the child): Everyone under the age of 18 has all the rights in the Convention.”
What is a Rights Respecting School?
A rights-respecting school not only teaches about children's rights but also models rights and respect in all its relationships: between teachers / adults and pupils, between adults and between pupils. Together young people and the school community learn about children’s rights, putting them into practice every day.
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, with the outcomes being that:
- Children are healthier and happier
- Children feel safe
- Children have better relationships
- Children become active and involved in school life and the wider world
What is happening at Marner Primary School?
At Marner Primary School, we are working towards achieving the Silver: Rights Aware of the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA). This is an award given to schools by UNICEF, a leading organisation for children and their rights. It recognises the work that duty-bearers (such as teachers, staff, parents and the local government who are accountable for ensuring that children experience their rights) do to ensure that all children can access their rights as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Take a look at the summary of the UNCRC.
Whilst we are learning about all the articles in the UNCRC, as a school we are focussing on the following articles:
2 - All children have these rights no matter what!
12 (respect views of child) - You have the right to say what you think should happen and be listened to.
19 (safe) - You should not be harmed and should be looked after and kept safe.
6 - You have the right to life and be healthy & 24 (food, water and safe environment) - You have the right to good food and water and to see a doctor when you are ill. (N.B: These two articles from the UNCRC will be combined to form one statement)
29 (goals of education) - Your right to become the best that you can be.
31 (leisure, play and culture) - You have the right to relax and play.
The RRSA encompasses all that we do as a school to allow our children flourish into kind and respectful lifelong learners who advocate the rights of every child everywhere and make a positive contribution to society. By learning about their rights, our children also learn about the importance of respecting the rights of others.
The UNCRC is at the heart of teaching and learning in Marner Primary School and is embedded within our school goals, ethos and practice. Article 42 states that, "Governments must actively work to make sure that children and adults know about the convention."
Children learn about their rights across the curriculum, children learn to respect each other’s rights:
- in the classroom (Article 28: the right to an education),
- in the dining hall (Article 24: the right to nutritious food and clean water),
- in the playground, (Article 31: the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities)
- in the local community (Article 2: child rights apply to every child without discrimination, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status, whatever they think or say, whatever their family background.).
- and as a global citizen (Article 4 (implementation of the Convention) Governments must do all they can to make sure every child can enjoy their rights by creating systems and passing laws that promote and protect children’s rights.)
Global Teacher Award
Our teaching staff have now completed the British Council’s Level 1 Global Teachers Award which is an accredited recognition of teachers’ practice in nurturing informed, active global citizenship amongst pupils of all ages and abilities and enhancing our SMSC provision. Global learning is embedded across our curriculum and promotes active global citizenship in the school, as well as partnership collaboration.
School Council and Pupil Voice
Article 12 (respect for the views of the child)- 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.
Pupil Voice is very important in Marner Primary School and our School Council form part of our RRSA steering group who lead the schools’ rights respecting work and represent children’s voices. Our School Councillors are elected at the start of each academic year and are representatives of their class and the school. They meet regularly to address issues that have been raised by children whilst also helping influence and drive change throughout the school and community (both local and global).
Our School Council meets regularly to:
- Develop and deliver the school’s goals and rights respecting action plan.
- Regularly listen to pupils and feedback to the school community about progress, including to the SMT, governors, staff and parents.
- Ensure that the whole school is aware of the Rights Respecting Schools Award.
- Provide a link between children and young people, teachers, senior management team, governors, and the whole school community.
Rights Respecting Blog
You will be able to find out more about our Rights Respecting work this year in our Rights Respecting Blog
Class Charters
A charter is a visual document that establishes an agreed set of rights-based principles upon which relationships can be based and which provide a language for shared values. Creating charters can support a positive learning environment for children and young people the classroom, across the whole school, in the playground or in specific departments or other areas within the school context.
Creating a charter helps to make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) more prominent and relevant. - UNICEF
At Marner Primary School we establish our class charters at the start every academic year to ensure that our classrooms are a place where children’s rights are respected and update them every term. Adults (Duty-bearers) and Children (Rights-holders) make pledges to explain how they are going to use the UN Convention within school (and also home) life.
