Rights Respecting School
We are a GOLD Rights Respecting School
We are a Gold Rights Respecting School
Kirkcudbright Academy has been awarded Gold by UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme.
UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Gold is the highest accolade given by UNICEF UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life. There are over 600 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that have received Gold.
Over the past few years, students, staff and community members have worked together to make sure that children’s rights are not just something we learn about, but something we live by every day.
Assemblies, UPS sessions, Rights days/afternoons and our curriculum have all helped to bring the UNCRC to life, encouraging everyone to think critically about fairness, equality, and respect — both in school and beyond. “You can approach staff with ideas as they are accessible to talk to. You feel included, listened to and can see changes when they are made.” Morgan in S6 told the UNICEF representative during the Gold Award Visit and Cally in S2 said “We are listened to and feel acknowledged in school. Overall, it makes us feel safer in school.”
The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
Students have had more opportunities to be actively involved within the school, being encouraged to give their opinions, share their thoughts and take the lead, making changes to our school and community as Hazel in S5 told the UNICEF assessor “There are lots of opportunities to have a say in our learning as we can give end of year feedback to our teachers about things that have happened and what went well. Feedback from teachers on marked work is positive and constructive to help us know what we need to improve and help us make more progress.” This is done across a range of pupil-led groups and has already had their say and involvement in school policies, campaigns and community projects, using their voices to make positive change.
