Rights Respecting School

Article Of The Week

Identity

Children have the right to their own identity – an official record of who they are which includes their name, nationality and family relations. No one should take this away from them, but if this happens, governments must help children to quickly get their identity back.

UNICEF GOLD RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOL

As a Rights Respecting School, we are proud to be the first secondary school in Pembrokeshire to have been award our gold. We are extremely proud of the commitment and effort that pupils and staff have put in to embed children’s rights into the heart of our school, ethos and policies. We look forward to continuing the work and making children’s rights central to everything we do. 

Becoming a Rights Respecting School means we can use our voice and feel confident that we are being listened to.  

Year 11 pupil

What is a Rights Respecting School?

Unicef works with schools to create safe and inspiring places to learn where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. The rights respecting schools award (RRSA) ensures that these values are being displayed in everyday life by everyone connected to the school which gives all children and young people the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives.  
 
The RSSA recognises a school’s effort to put the UN Convention for the rights of the child (UNCRC) into practice within the school and beyond It is categorised into 3 award levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.   
 
The Bronze level award – Rights Committed – is the first stage of the award and builds the foundation for moving onto the next level. At this stage schools begin to make children and young people aware of their rights.
 
The Silver level award – Rights Aware – is the second stage and is achieved when schools are able to demonstrate that the UNCRC is being used and understood throughout the school. 
 
The Gold level award – Rights Respecting – is the highest stage of the RRSA. It is awarded to schools that can demonstrate that children’s rights are fully implemented throughout the school and all of its policies and practices.   

This is a momentous occasion for our school and our community. Achieving the Gold Rights Respecting School Award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, pupils and community. It reflects our commitment to creating a learning environment where every pupil feels valued, heard and empowered. We believe in fostering a culture of respect and responsibility, and this award validates our efforts to ensure that children’s rights are central to everything we do.

Ms MorrisHeadteacher

Rights of the Child

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the basis of all of UNICEF’s work. It is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.

The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.

There are four articles in the Convention that are seen as special. They’re known as the “General Principles” and they help to interpret all the other articles and play a fundamental role in realizing all the rights in the Convention for all children. They are:

  1. Non-discrimination (Article 2)
  2. Best interest of the child (Article 3)
  3. Right to life survival and development (Article 6)
  4. Right to be heard (Article 12)

Each week Milford Haven School will be choosing an article to focus on. 

Throwback to Silver