Advancing children’s rights in the Border - Celebrating Rights Respecting School Award Success

Published: 18th November 2024

White background with blue writing  UNICEF UK Rights Respecting School Award Bronze Award shown

Schools in the Scottish Borders receive Rights Respecting Schools Awards (RRSA). The Rights Committed Schools are the latest to be recognised for their commitment to children’s rights.

Following in the footsteps in some of our other schools, Berwickshire High School and Galashiels Academy have earned the much sought after Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA). Berwickshire High received Bronze and Galashiels Academy Silver.  The Rights Committed Schools are the latest to be recognised for their commitment to children’s rights.

The Awards, issued by the UK Committee for UNICEF, celebrates schools that have successfully embedded children’s rights into their daily practice.

RRSAs recognises schools that have made significant progress in implementing the UNCRC principles within their school and beyond. Schools must demonstrate a strong commitment to children’s rights in areas such as wellbeing, participation, relationships, and self-esteem.

The RSS awards are timely as children and young people across the Scottish Borders will be celebrating World Children's Day on 20 November, UNICEF's global day for children, by children.

It marks the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and serves as a call to action for schools, communities and institutions to engage with and support children.  The theme for 2024 is “Listen to the Future”.

UNICEF is encouraging the world to ‘listen to children’s hopes, dreams and visions for the future’ and has developed a parents and carers’ toolkit which covers –

The power of parenting
The importance of listening to children
How to get involved
Having conversations about child rights   

More information about the UNCRC can be found at Children & Young People’s Commissioner Scotland https://www.cypcs.org.uk search UNCRC.