Rights Respecting School
Watergate is a Rights Respecting School
‘The best interests of the child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions that affect children’ – Article 3, UNCRC
MISSION AND ETHOS STATEMENT
At Watergate, in line with our Mission Statement, we prioritise learning, well-being and achievement and value individuality and diversity. Positive, child-centred relationships are at the heart of everything we do and we treat our children with dignity and respect at all times.
RATIONALE
Our UNICEF Rights Respecting School Recognition of Commitment was achieved in January 2025 recognising that we are on the journey to embed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) within our whole school ethos.
Children and adults work together to recognise and act upon the rights of the child within our school, our local community and the wider world. We believe that by understanding their own rights, children learn to respect and value the rights of others.
OBJECTIVES:
Our aim is to create a community who understand and respect the rights of all the children in our care. Through embedding Rights Respecting we aim to empower our pupils to use their voices, in whatever way suits them, to affect positive change in their environment.
Our staff will know and understand the scope of the UNCRC and show respect to children’s rights in everything they do.
We will continue to work towards achieving Silver: Rights Aware and Gold: Rights Respecting
UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
The UNCRC sets out the rights of children in 54 articles. These basic rights encompass survival, protection, development and participation
The UNCRC is underpinned by 4 principles
- Non-discrimination
- Commitment to the best interest of the child
- The right to life, survival and development
- Respect for the views of the child
- Rights are universal and cannot be taken away
- The main responsibility for ensuring that all children enjoy their rights lies with the adults.
- All rights are equally important.
Leadership and Management
- Rights Respecting Schools is an integral part of school development planning
- All decisions are taken in the best interests of children
- As school policies are reviewed, links with the values and principles of the UNCRC are made explicit within them.
- Recruitment and induction practices reflect our Rights Respecting ethos
- Training takes place regularly to ensure that knowledge and understanding of rights remains relevant
Whole School Community
- Assemblies are linked to the UNCRC where possible
- Displays show links to the UNCRC where relevant
- All members of the school community are encouraged to be ambassadors for children’s rights.
- Parents, Governors and the wider community are included in our work as a Rights Respecting School.
- It is the duty of every member of the school community to ensure that Watergate School moves forward with our Rights Respecting Schools agenda and that all the rights of children are met and respected.
Pupil Voice
- Pupils’ opinions and thoughts are sought, encouraged and respected in all aspects of the school’s work.
- Children are given access to a wide range of communication methods in order to be able to express their feelings and opinions e.g. Makaton, symbols, AAC
- Children are given the opportunity to be involved in leading aspects of school life e.g. school council, clubs and activities.
- Children are involved in activities which help to develop their knowledge of global events.
- Children are encouraged to join in activities which develop their awareness of how they can have a positive impact on the world, now and in the future.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
We subscribe to the ambitions of Article 2 of the UNCRC (non-discrimination)
‘The convention applies to every child without discrimination, whatever their ethnicity, sex, religion, language, abilities or any other status, whatever they think or say, whatever their family background’.