Rights Respecting Schools

At Felpham Community College, the UNCRC underpins much of what we do here.  From informing our policies and practice, to forming the basis of our school charter, it is more than a document to be pinned on classroom walls.

Throughout the school, we aim to raise awareness of the rights of a child and threats towards it.  We work with children, adults and the local community to encourage our students to become ‘active citizens’ and to carry on their positive work beyond their time at Felpham. As a testament to this work, Felpham Community College has held the highest UNICEF Gold RRSA school status since 2017.

What is a Rights Respecting School?

“A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned taught, practised, respected, protected and protected promoted”.

Rights respecting schools put the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of the school’s planning, policies, practice and ethos. For schools to gain a Rights Respecting status they must not only teach about the convention, but actively model rights and respect, within a supportive and inclusive community.

What is the impact of being a Rights Respecting School?

Attending a rights-respecting school has several benefits for the students, these include:

• All students have a good knowledge of their rights and understand how to exercise and protect their rights.
• Students can attend an environment where they are safe, valued and respected.
• Schools develop a culture of respect where everyone’s voice is heard and valid.
• Students can develop greater self-esteem and confidence.
• All students gain an awareness of community and global issues and learn how to take action to change the world for the better meaning they can become active citizens.
• The school has a culture of inclusion with reduced incidents of bullying and prejudice, and the key rights concepts are at the heart of the school and its policies and practices.
• There is Increased engagement and create a sense of community and belonging.

For more information on the impact of being rights respecting see here.

What is the UNCRC?

The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child sets out 54 articles that create civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that each and every child has without discrimination.

The convention has four guiding principles that play a key role in allowing students to realise all their rights these include:

•  Non-discrimination (article 2)
• The best interest of the child (article 3)
• Right to life survival and development (article 6)
• Right to be heard (article 12)

For the summary of the convention please see here.

What does rights-respecting work look like at Felpham Community College?

The rights-respecting work that takes place across the school is diverse, allowing our students to get involved in a variety of ways and providing valuable space to explore a range of issues.

Examples of the rights-respecting work we have done include the Purple for Polio campaign, workshops on issues such as the right to education, our acts of craftivism, green projects and setting up areas to support uk wildlife, volunteering opportunities in care homes and local organisations, raising money in charity week and sponsoring children in Nepal to allow them to get an education.

More information on the way students engages with our rights respecting rights can be found in the learning journey.