Rights Respecting School Award

Rights for all children are set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international agreement that has been ratified by almost 200 countries worldwide including the United Kingdom.

Unicef works with schools across the UK to transform education through promoting children’s rights, giving young people the best possible chance to grow up empowered, inspired and ready to make a difference in the world. The Rights Respecting Schools Award does this by placing children’s rights at the heart of school policy and practice, enabling leaders and teachers to strengthen pupil’s sense of belonging and voice, and to create an environment for great learning.

We are delighted to be the first school in Wolverhampton to achieve the Gold Level of the Rights-Respecting Schools Award, which we received following an accreditation visit from a UNICEF advisor in February 2023. This award recognises our achievement in putting children’s rights at the heart of everything we do. We are especially proud of the way our pupils feel empowered to campaign on a whole range of issues including climate change, mental health and health systems around the world. 
 

Over 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting school and Uplands is delighted to be a part of this number. The rights set out in the Convention are what a child needs to survive, grow and fulfil their potential.  Research has shown that participation in the Rights Respecting School award enables children at schools who have progressed through the award to:

• be healthier and happier;

• feel safe;

• have better relationships;

• become active and involved in school life and the wider world.

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Every class at Uplands elects their own Rights Ambassador each year and these children work with the staff Rights Co-ordinator, Ms Gilbert, to promote understanding of children’s rights and help ensure that those rights are being met