Rights Respecting Schools Award At Marr College, we are working towards achieving the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award. UNICEF is the organisation working specifically for children and their rights. Its mission is to campaign for the protection of children’s rights in order to meet children’s basic needs and empower them to realise their full potential.

UNICEF UK believes that these values should be embedded in the ethos and curriculum of our schools. In a rights respecting school, children learn about their rights and responsibilities. They learn that if they have rights, they need to respect the rights of others too.

Why are children learning about their rights at school? In signing the Convention on the Rights of the Child all Governments have a responsibility to make both children and adults aware of these rights. There are 42 rights of a child (articles) in the convention covering things such as; children having the right to education (article 27) and children have the right to be protected at all times (article 19).

Research has shown that when children have learnt about their rights and responsibilities they have : a better understanding of what it means to have rights and responsibilities a more positive attitude to school better relationships with their classmates and teachers higher self-esteem an increased awareness of how to be a global citizen Why are children learning about their rights at school?

The aim of both RRS and the school is to help children in achieving their potential and become responsible citizens. What is taught in the RRS curriculum helps children learn respect for self, others, critical thinking skills and informed decision-making.

Work that has been done so far.. Marr College and all cluster primaries took part in UNICEF Day for Change in which we held a non-uniform day and a poetry competition which focused on the rights of the child A group of pupils meet once a week to discuss how to promote rights across the school Some S1 pupils took part in a Global Citizenship conference in Hutchison’s Grammar school in Glasgow We are working hard to promote rights across the curriculum and throughout the school. P7 transition event in May will involve RRS team building activities

Activity Each group will receive a bundle of cards 1)Decide as a group which card is a ‘need’ and which card is a ‘want’. 2)Decide as a group which cards are very important, important, less important. 3)Do all children receive what you have classed as important rights? What could be done to ensure that they do?

Topics covered in RME S1 -Big Questions -Buddhism (trip to Samye Ling Buddhist Centre) -Development of Christianity in Scotland -Environmental Issues

S1 pupils at Samye Ling

Why study philosophy and RMPS? Opening up learning through enquiry and the exploration of ideas. Learning the confidence to ask questions and learn through discussion. A chance to speak and be heard without fear of getting an answer wrong. A chance to think outside the box Creative thinking Reasoning skills

“What is Philosophy? It’s “thinking about thinking”: that’s a philosophical answer! I enjoy philosophy, you learn to argue properly and expand your thinking skills. You study different types of people and different topics, and express your views in class discussions.” (Mark) “By studying the way others think you begin to understand your own thinking better, which is beneficial in other subjects as well as in life. I can feel and see the impact it has had not only on myself but on my classmates. In Philosophy we are not afraid others will ridicule our ideas, it is a safe place where we are not afraid to be wrong” (Chloe)