We employ a Rights Respecting School approach to ensure that all of our pupils learn about justice and equality and are supported in fighting for those rights for all children in a spirit of courageous advocacy.

You will see this logo wherever one of the children's rights is mentioned as a reminder that all children have these rights.

How can we learn about these Rights?

Children’s rights are central to all aspects of UNICEF’s work, including education, and we use the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as a framework for our activities. The CRC is a comprehensive human rights treaty that enshrines specific children’s rights in international law. These rights define universal principles and standards for the status and treatment of children worldwide.

UNICEF aims to promote children’s rights in schools in two ways: by supporting schools to ensure that rights are embedded in their ethos and policy-making; and by offering resources and activities to ensure that children and young people can learn about children’s rights in the classroom and beyond.

Key Principles and Provisions of the Convention

The CRC consists of 54 articles. A ‘child’ is defined as every human being below the age of 18. The key provisions are:

• The right to a childhood (including protection from harm)

• The right to be educated (including all girls and boys completing primary school)

• The right to be healthy (including having clean water, nutritious food and medical care)

• The right to be treated fairly (which includes changing laws and practices that discriminate against children)

• The right to be heard (which includes considering children's views)

Why teach about the Convention?

Teaching children and young people about the CRC means that they can find out about the legal and human rights and responsibilities that underpin society. By learning about the Convention, children and young people in the UK can discover that

• They have rights

• They should be informed about their rights

• They should be helped to exercise their rights

• They should be able to enforce their rights

• There should be a community of interest to advocate young people’s rights

These tenets of the CRC are true for children and young people worldwide, making the Convention an excellent starting point for understanding global citizenship.

For more information visit the Unicef website:

http://www.unicef.org.uk/Education/Rights-Respecting-Schools-Award/Childrens-rights/

To see a child-friendly version of their rights follow this link:

http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/files/uncrcchilldfriendlylanguage.pdf