Rights Respecting School

Mountjoy School is a GOLD
Rights Respecting School

What is the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award?
Here is a brief explanation of what it is all about. In 1989, governments across the world promised all children the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention says what countries must do so that all children grow as healthy as possible, can learn at school, are protected, have their views listened to and are treated fairly. The Convention has 54 rights in total.

Mountjoy School is very proud to announce that we were awarded Gold status in March 2021. Mountjoy School is the first special school in the South West to achieve this.

Achieving Gold: Rights Respecting means there is evidence that:

• Mountjoy has explicitly adopted a child rights approach based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and has embedded it in school policy, practice and culture
• Children, young people and adults at Mountjoy have a thorough understanding of child rights, and rights respecting attitudes and language are embedded across the school
• RRSA has had a positive impact on children and young people’s learning and wellbeing
• Pupils see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and are advocates for social justice, fairness and children’s rights at home and abroad 
  
  Our particular strengths include: 
• The way the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is used to frame our policies and practice illustrates a strategic and explicit commitment to rights at all levels. 
• The way staff clearly understand how the articles of the CRC and the values underpinning it link to their work with the children and young people in their care. 
• The importance placed on hearing all students’ opinions using a variety of methods whereby children and young people can express themselves even if their ability to communicate verbally is limited.
  
  How are parents/carers involved?  Have a look at the information here 
• We encourage parent/carer’s support with charity awareness and fundraising events to promote the rights of children in need and to practice a global ambassadorial role. We will forge closer links with Bridport, which is a Rights Respecting Town. EHCP annual reviews are child-centred and an opportunity for parents/carers to experience at first-hand how Mountjoy’s rights respecting ethos enables their child to grow and enjoy life.
• How are teachers and staff involved? 
• Teachers and staff model rights respecting language and attitudes and make strategic decisions that involve students. Rights are taught and learnt throughout the whole school community through training, curriculum, assemblies, topics, focus days/weeks, displays. Governors are informed of progress throughout and are invited to participate actively as much as they can. 
   
  How are pupils involved? 
• Pupils are invited to participate in steering groups such as the ECO group and KAT groups. They are invited to talk about or demonstrate their understanding of their rights, to choose and look at and create RRSA resources such as posters, videos and songs, to make suggestions how they can recycle more, help pupils in other countries and much more. 
  
  To maintain our gold status, we will:
• Continue to develop activities to collaborate with other schools and act as ambassadors for children’s rights. 
• Continue to create opportunities for students to have their opinion heard in decision making.
• Further develop opportunities for the students to learn about how children experience their rights in other places and use their voice to enable all children and young people to access their rights.
• Continue to present multiple perspectives on the world, familiarising the students with people from races and cultures different to their own. 
• Ensure that outward facing communication tools make the school’s commitment to children’s rights explicit.

Thank you for reading about our journey to GOLD Rights Respecting Schools Award status.
 

Mountjoy RRSA Accreditation Reports