St Matthew’s Academy achieved the Gold Rights Respecting Schools Award following a successful accreditation visit in March 2023. This recognition confirms that we are fully Rights Respecting. Our focus now is to sustain and build upon this achievement by continuing to strengthen children’s rights both within our school and across the wider community.
Children’s rights are embedded in the daily life of St Matthew’s Academy, with the best interests of the child at the heart of everything we do. Pupils are actively involved in decision-making and are encouraged to understand, respect and uphold the rights of others.
Children’s rights are promoted across a wide range of learning and support opportunities, including:
- Learning about rights-based issues across the curriculum, including Modern Studies, Geography, Guidance and RMPS
- Breakfast Club provision
- Spare uniform support, foodbank appeals and our “Take What You Need” cupboard
- Wellbeing Ambassadors, the Nurture Base and Guidance support
- A wide range of extra-curricular activities
- Pupil Leadership roles, Pupil Voice Forums and the Pupil Council
- Whole-school Rights Awareness activities
Our Rights Respecting Schools Charter is a shared visual document which sets out an agreed set of rights-based principles that underpin relationships across our school community and sit at the centre of our priorities. Pupils worked collaboratively to identify five key rights from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) that reflect the values of St Matthew’s Academy and align closely with our CLEAR school values.
Community – Article 3
The best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all decisions and actions that affect children.
Love – Article 24
All children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health and to be protected from harm, both physically and mentally.
Equality – Article 2
The Convention applies to every child without discrimination of any kind, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, language, ability or any other status.
Achievement – Article 29
Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to their full potential.
Respect – Article 12
Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have these views taken seriously.
The Rights Respecting Schools Committee plays a key role in raising awareness of children’s rights across the school and wider community. The Committee works to ensure that every pupil understands the rights they are entitled to and how St Matthew’s Academy upholds these rights in practice. Members also lead initiatives that empower pupils to take meaningful action on children’s rights issues.
Key areas of the Committee’s work include:
- Linking children’s rights to the curriculum and wider school initiatives
- Raising awareness of the UNCRC through activities such as Right of the Month and Rights Week
- Leading year group assemblies focused on children’s rights
- Delivering workshops for younger pupils and local primary schools
- Raising awareness, fundraising and campaigning for real-world issues, including our Ukraine Appeal
