Rights Respecting
Shirley Infant School have adopted the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Our school values and ethos already encompass many of these principles, but we are now more explicit in making children, staff and our community aware of how we were using them to underpin all aspects of our practice. We have been awarded the Silver award.
These core principles are;-
- Non-discrimination or universality - the rights of the child are afforded to all children without exception. All children have equal opportunities to develop their potential.
- The best interests of the child are the highest priority in all decision making.
- Right to life, survival and development - to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of health and living.
- Respect for the views of the child.
Rights Respecting Schools
We recognise the UNCRC at the heart of the school's planning, policies, practice and ethos. A Rights Respecting School not only teaches about children's rights but also models rights and respect in all relationships.
We have been working on incorporating these principles into all aspects of our school life in the following ways;-
- Classes have created class charters which link rights and responsibilities that the class consider to be important.
- Planning in PSHE has been adapted to introduce children to the rights of the child and gives children opportunities to talk about and learn the vocabulary of rights, respecting. This planning has included ideas from the 'First steps to rights' publication.
- Assembly themes incorporate some of the key rights. For example, children have been introduced to the right of play and the responsibilities they have to try to ensure happy play for others.
- We have re-worded our Home School Agreement using the Rights and Respecting vocabulary. This is available to read within the Policies section of this website.
- We have formed a steering group to initiate ideas and monitor progress in embedding the key principles. This group consists of our elected School Council members.
Further actions will be to develop an action plan which incorporates some of the children's ideas into school improvement planning.
Our aim;-
... to develop as a school where children and adults use the values and language of the CRC to help them become rights-respecting global citizens.
Posters have been displayed around school showing key Rights from the convention that we would like children to be aware of.