RRSA

Sciennes: A Rights Respecting School

Sciennes Primary began the journey towards Level 1 accreditation of Unicef's 'Rights Respecting Schools Award' in September 2015. This blog will document our progress towards ensuring that everyone in our school community becomes aware of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and that we use it to underpin our values in becoming a Rights Respecting School.

Background to RRSA

The Rights Respecting Schools Award initiative started in 2004 and is running in over 600 schools in the UK (primary and secondary). It has demonstrated an improvement in child well-being. Many schools have reported a decrease in bullying, an improvement in achievement and participation, a positive effect on attitudes and global awareness and a more inclusive, caring school atmosphere.


Adults and young people have reported that the language of rights and responsibilities, based on the CRC, empowers them to relate to each other better and to engage in decision-making more collaboratively.

Required Standard

The Award is open for all schools: nursery, primary, middle, secondary and special. For a school to receive the RRS Award, they must show evidence that they have reached the required standard in the following four categories, all of which contain elements contributing to the development of an active global citizen:

1. leadership and management for embedding the values of the CRC in the life of the school.
2. knowledge and understanding of the CRC.
3. rights respecting classrooms.
4. pupils actively participate in decision-making throughout the school.

There are two levels to the Award. Level 1 describes a school which has made good progress across four key aspects of school life: leadership and management; pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the CRC; classroom climate and culture; and pupils’ active participation in decision-making. A Level 2 is awarded to schools which demonstrate that these principles are fully embedded in the life of the school.