Getting started

Find out what it takes to become a Rights Respecting School.

We recommend that before registering for the RRSA you take a few moments to read the following advice to make sure that your school is in the best possible position to begin its Right Respecting journey.

Preparing to start your Rights Respecting journey

Becoming a Rights Respecting School is about more than achieving specific criteria. It is about embedding a child rights approach into all aspects of school life. There are two conditions that we believe underpin RRSA success:

• Having the commitment needed to become a Rights Respecting School
• The resources in place to support this commitment

Commitment:

We know from experience that for a school to be successful with the RRSA, the whole school community, staff and pupils, parents and governors need be on board and supportive of the school’s ambitions. Becoming a Rights Respecting School involves re-evaluating the school’s ethos and practices to make sure they embed the principles of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is therefore vital that the whole school community, and especially the headteacher and senior leadership team, are committed to the school’s participation in the RRSA. This includes providing support to the RRSA Lead and making sure they have both the time and resources to implement right respecting practices, including attending RRSA training and re-delivering this training to other staff.

Resources:

We also know that schools are more successful when staff are able to action our guidance effectively, attend our training courses and make use of our wide range of UNICEF UK teaching resources. You will have access to all of these as soon as you pay your membership fee.

It is important that, before registering, your school considers the human and financial resources involved in participating in the Award. Please read about the costs of the RRSA for more information.

Familiarise yourself

Before registering for the Rights Respecting Schools Award, we recommend that you take the time to familiarise yourself with the main aspects of the RRSA. In particular, take a look at the three Strands of the RRSA and the Rights Respecting journey. You may also find it helpful to familiarise yourself with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – the principles at the centre of the RRSA.

Getting started

We’ve got all the information to get you started on your Rights Respecting journey, with guidance for each stage of the Award:

• Registering for the RRSA
• Bronze: Rights Committed
• Silver: Rights Aware
• Gold: Rights Respecting
• Sustaining Gold: Rights Respecting

If you have any queries, or would like further advice and support, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the RRSA Team at [email protected] or your Regional Professional Adviser.

The image at the top of this page was art directed by young people at a Rights Respecting School. In a Rights Respecting School children develop self-esteem and value themselves. The students wanted to show that at their school everyone participates and achieves, and their efforts are applauded.