Rights Respecting Schools

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)

© Unicef

In November 2018 The Willows was re-accredited the Gold Level Rights Respecting School Award. As part of our assessment Unicef set us a further challenge to learn more about the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and to work together with more schools. As a result of this we launched a Manchester schools Rights Respecting Parliament.