Torbain as a Rights Respecting School

At Torbain, we are proud to be a Rights Respecting School.

What is a Rights Respecting School?

From Unicef:

The Rights Respecting Schools Award puts children’s rights at the heart of schools in the UK.

The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Our Rights Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.

There are four key areas of impact for children at a Rights Respecting school; wellbeing, participation, relationships and self-esteem.

The difference that a Rights Respecting School makes goes beyond the school gates, making a positive impact on the whole community.

• Children are healthier and happier
• Children feel safe
• Children have better relationships
• Children become active and involved in school life and the wider world

Class Charters

A very important part of being a Rights Respecting School is the class charters that we have in every class across the school. The children are heavily involved in the creation of their class charter, and the charter is an agreement made between children and teacher to respect children’s rights. In Term 1, the children are reminded about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and discuss the children’s rights that they feel are most important and most relevant to the school and classroom setting.

The class and teacher will select 4 or 5 rights to be a focus for their class charter. The charter is created in many different creative ways, but each charter recognises the children and teacher’s promise to respect these rights and responsibilities. The class charter links in with our school values and becomes embedded in learning and teaching, and is referred to throughout the year.

Class Charter Examples