Rights Respecting
Newbury Park Primary is a Rights Respecting school.
What are children’s rights?
In 1989, governments worldwide promised all children the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Convention recognised that all children have the right to be treated with dignity and fairness, to be protected to develop their full potential and participate. The rights in the Convention describe what a child needs to survive, grow and live up to their potential in the world. They apply equally to any child, no matter who they are or where they came from.
The Convention has changed the way children are viewed and treated—in other words, as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity. It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty.—only the United States has not ratified it. The UK signed up to it in 1991.
The rights of children are referred to in the convention, as articles. Click here to view a list of the articles:
What is a Rights Respecting School?
The Rights Respecting Schools Award recognises schools that place children’s rights at the heart of their school. It is an award delivered by UNICEF, the world’s leading organisation for children and young people, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything they do. You can find more information about UNICEF and their work with schools here.
Newbury Park is very proud to have been awarded the silver level Rights Respecting award.
This means that children and all members of our school community have a deeper understanding of their rights as set out in the Convention and that they are putting these into practise in all aspects of their school life. They are also campaigning to make our school, our city and the world a better place for children everywhere.
Through this approach:
- Children are happier and healthier
- Children feel safe
- Children have better relationships
- Children become more active and involved in school life and the wider world.
As a school, we are beginning to see the positive impact of these actions on children and young people, staff, and on the school’s ethos, practice and environment.
Click here to view the silver accreditation report written in June 2022.
What does Rights Respecting look like at Newbury Park?
- Our pupils learn about rights through weekly assemblies and Personal Health and Development lessons
- Pupils consider rights when interacting with their peers and resolving conflicts
- Our groups of ambassadors ensure that all pupils in the school have a say in school decisions, where appropriate.
- Pupils are encouraged to discuss rights in all aspects of their learning and reading materials
- Pupils are beginning to learn about different charities and how they support children around the world.
- Pupils are beginning to campaign for children’s rights locally and globally.
Our Rights Respecting Ambassadors
This year, we have yet another motivated team of ambassadors who were elected by their peers through a democratic voting process.
They are:
Year 1- Tharika, Akshara, Zara, Sharan
Year 2- Nandini, Abiraa, Aliza, Simrit
Year 3- Daria, Aaliyah, Umar, Linda
Year 4 - Sarah, Aaliyah, Tehreem, Hareem
Year 5 - Gautam, Marven, Kayden, Reyah
Year 6 - Assad, Prottoy, Klarissa, Tazim.
What have our ambassadors been up to this year?
- Ambassadors have been promoting and raising awareness of children’s rights through an informative video.
- They have raised awareness within the school of the charity ‘Children in Need’ whilst promoting the TTRS Rocks challenge.
- They have advocated pupil voice within our school, taking ideas from their peers about how to make the playground a better place. Through these ideas, our school playground charter was created.
- Ambassadors have also taken part in UNICEF’s outright project, details of which can be found below.
Outright
Outright is a campaigning programme managed by UNICEF. This year, UNICEF are hoping to raise awareness of the critical issues in our healthcare system by sharing children’s work on this issue, with an important decision maker and their team at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government.
In line with this, our Rights ambassadors have spent some time looking at healthcare systems both within the UK and worldwide. They have then collectively produced a piece of work that demonstrates their
learning on this topic and why they think this issue is important.
Click here to view their work.
The ABCDE of children’s rights
At Newbury park, we understand and live the ABCDE of children’s rights
ABCDE of Children's Rights
TRights are for All children. They are universal.
Rights are there at Birth. They are inherent.
Rights Cannot be taken away. They are inalienable.
Rights Do Not have to be earnt. They are unconditional.
All rights are Equally important. They are indivisible.
We know that all adults looking after children are the duty bearers and they bear the duty of ensuring that children get their rights. Children are the rights holders.