Rights Respecting School
At our school, we are proud to be a Rights Respecting School, where children’s rights are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe, valued, listened to, and empowered to thrive—and this ethos underpins daily life across our school community.
Each month, we focus on a different children’s right, helping pupils to develop a deeper understanding of what their rights mean in real life. As part of this, children take part in creative activities such as designing and producing information posters, sharing their own interpretations and raising awareness across the school. These displays not only celebrate pupil voice but also help to embed a shared understanding of respect, fairness, and equality.
Each week, we are proud to celebrate our pupils by selecting a Rights Respecting Child from every class to wear our special yellow Rights Respecting jumper. This is a special recognition awarded to children who consistently demonstrate our school values and show a strong understanding of children’s rights in action. These pupils may be chosen for showing kindness and respect to others, standing up for what is right, being a positive role model, or demonstrating responsibility within the classroom and wider school community. Wearing the yellow jumper is a moment of pride and celebration. It helps to highlight the importance of children’s rights and encourages all pupils to think about how they can uphold these values in their everyday actions.
Our commitment to being rights respecting is woven throughout all aspects of school life—from our curriculum and behaviour approaches to how we build positive relationships with one another. Every decision we make is guided by what is best for our children and their rights.
Pupil voice is a key part of this work. Our School Action Team meets half-termly to discuss important issues, share ideas, and work together to make improvements. This ensures that our children feel heard and know that they can make a real difference within our school.
By placing children’s rights at the centre of everything we do, we are nurturing confident, respectful, and responsible individuals who are ready to contribute positively to the wider world.
What is a Rights Respecting School?
In 1989, governments worldwide promised all children the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, also known as the CRC or UNCRC. The Convention changed the way children are viewed and treated – in other words, as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity.
These rights describe what a child needs to survive, grow, and live up to their potential in the world. They apply equally to every child, no matter who they are or where they come from.
Rights Respecting School Award
At The Willows Primary School, we are committed to placing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of our core values and ethos; believing children’s participation is integral to all aspects of school life. The result is a raised sense of security and self-confidence which allows them to take the next step in advocating the rights of children everywhere.
Key Principles
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)
In 2024, The Willows was re-accredited the Gold Level Rights Respecting School Award for the third time.