Rights Respecting Schools

What it means to be a UNICEF Rights Respecting School

At Widmer End Community Combined School, we are proud to be working towards becoming a UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We have already achieved our Bronze Award and are now working towards our Silver Award.

What is a Rights Respecting School?

A Rights Respecting School is one that puts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of everything we do. This means we are committed to ensuring that every child in our school knows their rights, and that these rights are respected, protected and promoted in all aspects of school life.

The UNCRC sets out the rights that all children and young people have, including:

• The right to be safe and protected

• The right to learn and develop

• The right to be heard and have their views taken seriously

• The right to be treated fairly and with respect

Our journey so far

We achieved our Bronze Award in 2024, which recognises that we have:

• Made a commitment to children's rights across our whole school community

• Started to embed the language of rights into our everyday practice

• Begun to create an environment where children understand and can talk about their rights

Working towards Silver

We are now working towards our Silver Award. This involves:

• Deepening children's understanding of their rights and the rights of others around the world

• Ensuring that children's rights are at the centre of our school policies, practices and relationships

• Empowering our pupils to become active citizens who respect the rights of others and take action to improve the lives of children locally and globally

• Creating a school culture where adults and children work together to ensure everyone's rights are respected

What does this mean for our pupils?

Being a Rights Respecting School means that our children:

• Learn about their rights and the rights of children everywhere

• Have their voices heard and their opinions valued

• Are treated with dignity and respect

• Learn to respect the rights of others

• Develop a sense of responsibility for making the world a better place

• Grow in confidence and self-esteem

We believe that embedding children's rights throughout our school helps create a safe, inspiring environment where every child can thrive and reach their full potential.

      

Right of the Month

Every month, the Rights Reps choose a right to focus on. This is usually linked to some of the special celebration days and events held in that month. 

June's  ‘Right of the Month’ is Article 22: If I am a refugee, I have the same rights as children born in that country. 15th to 21st June is World Refugee Week and World Refugee Day is celebrated on the 20th. The theme this year is ‘Courage’, recognising the immense courage it takes every day for a refugee who has had to flee their home. Supporting this is Empathy Day, encouraging us to see things from others’ perspectives. Other important celebrations include Pride Month, Windrush Day, World Oceans Day, World Food Safety Day and World Wellbeing Week.