UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting
Schools Initiative and Evaluation
Judy Sebba
Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and
Education
Judy.sebba@education.ox.ac.uk
What is the problem?
UNICEF (2007) Report Card 7: Six dimensions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Material well-being
Education
Health and safety
Peer and family relationships
Risky behaviours
Young person's own subjective sense of
well-being.
UNICEF’s Rights Respecting School Award
• The RRSA seeks to put the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s ethos and
culture to improve well-being and develop every child’s
talents and abilities to their full potential.
• A rights-respecting school is a community where
children’s rights are learned, taught, practised,
respected, protected and promoted.
• Young people and the school community learn about
children’s rights by putting them into practice every
day.
Four overarching standards:
Standard A: Rights-respecting values underpin leadership and management
The best interests of the child are a top priority in all actions. Leaders are
committed to placing the values and principles of the UNCRC at the heart of
all policies and practice.
Standard B: The whole school community learns about the UNCRC.
The Convention is made known to children and adults. Young people and
adults use this shared understanding to work for global justice and sustainable
living.
Standard C: The school has a rights-respecting ethos.
Young people and adults collaborate to develop and maintain a rightsrespecting school community, based on the UNCRC, in all areas and in all
aspects of school life.
Standard D: Children are empowered to become active citizens and learners.
Every child has the right to say what they think in all matters affecting them
and to have their views taken seriously. Young people develop the confidence,
through their experience of an inclusive rights-respecting school community,
to play an active role in their own learning and to speak and act for the rights
of all to be respected locally and globally.
The evaluation 2007-2010 [followed by Best
Practice Review in 2011]
• annual visits to 12 schools across five LAs 20072010; 8 primary, one middle, one secondary special,
2 secondary
• single visits to a further 19 schools across 10
additional LAs in Spring 2010
• 9 had achieved Level 2 by end of evaluation
• 18 had achieved Level 1
• collected documentation, undertake interviews &
observation
• Followed some primary pupils through to secondary
Aim of the evaluation
The aim of the evaluation was to assess
the impact of the RRSA on the well-being
and achievement of children and young
people (CYP) in the participating schools
including measures of academic
attainment and gains in emotional and
social skills, knowledge and
understanding.
Overall findings
For the majority of schools, the values
based on the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and
‘guide to life’ provided by the RRSA has
had a significant and positive influence on
the school ethos, relationships, inclusivity,
understanding of the wider world and the
well-being of the school community.
Overall, schools were very positive
• After 16 years as head teacher at […] school, I
cannot think of anything else we have
introduced that has had such an impact.
Head teacher, infant school
• Relationships are fabulous, absolutely amazing.
Governor/parent, secondary school
• [Without Rights Respecting Schools] I don’t
think you’d get a good education. It affects your
learning. Year 7 pupil, secondary school
Comments from those involved
• Rights aren’t just in school, you can take them anywhere.
In some countries, children have less rights. (Year 4 pupil)
• Children are more outspoken to what they used to be. I
wonder if they have too much say? (midday supervisor)
• My rights but others’ responsibilities (Year 5 pupil)
• When I first came here there was more fighting, but things
have settled down now. We’re shown how what we do
affects others and affects how they feel (Year 5 pupil)
• When my 4 year old held forth in Tescos on why I should
buy Fairtrade to help the farmers, I was less sure RR
schools was a good idea? (parent of reception pupil)
9
Students, staff, governors & some parents in schools had extensive
knowledge & understanding of the CRC, reflected in their use of
rights respecting language, attitudes and relationships.
Relationships and Behaviour
• All 31 schools were characterised by very positive
relationships between pupils, between staff, and
between pupils and staff.
“There used to be more detentions and now there are
hardly any. People behave better everywhere. Even the
boys.” Year 6 pupil
• Listening, respect and empathy were evident and there
was little or no bullying or shouting.
“There used to be a lot of screaming and shouting when
I first came to the school but now people talk to each
other.” Administrative staff, secondary school
• Staff and pupils reported experiencing a strong sense of
belonging.
• Where conflicts arose, pupils were more likely than
previously to resolve these for themselves.
Year 6 pupils in
one primary, on
hearing that only
the US and
Somalia had not
yet signed up to
the UNCRC
became
incensed
commenting
‘…well America
is huge, what’s
their problem?’
They decided to
write to the new
president.
Pupils made a
positive
contribution on
local and global
issues as a result
of their increased
awareness of the
universality of
children’s rights
and the extent to
which these are
denied.
Elie Primary School Fife
• The pupils demonstrated very sophisticated
understanding of the UNCRC, rights, responsibilities
and how these relate to national and international
events.
• The displays of their written work which they spoke
about covered such issues as the poverty in Britain,
riots, Tsunami, Madonna’s adoption of a child, etc.,
addressed through ‘Newswatch’.
• Staff commented on how children discussed these
news items in a more sensitive and better-informed
way. Pupils from the RRSA working party reported that
pupils in school now understood that poverty is
experienced in the UK, not just in other countries.
‘Newswatch’- the
tracking of news
items that address
the denial of
children’s rights
across the world.
Elie Primary
School Fife
Inclusivity and diversity
• Across all schools, uniformly positive
attitudes to diversity were reported and
this was reported to have improved over
the three years e.g.
the children are far more tolerant of each other,
and of each other’s difficulties and
understandings of things (parent/TA)
Bridport Primary School Article 12
Pupils actively participate in decision-making in the school
community:
• The school council has been involved in developing
playground mediation.
• They also observe lessons and the feedback informs
performance management.
• Pupils interview prospective members of staff, observe
lessons and give feedback but some of these processes are
not linked to the school council work.
• Pupil-led learning was initiated by a pupil requesting that
they have more say in what they learn. Every half term the
children choose a topic for the day (most recent one was
poetry) and they teach each other.
Children have exciting coloured room
to attract attention
Children’s work displayed
Children approach teachers well
Children engaged with teachers
Giving gestures going around.
Full of enthusiasm
TAs helping children with work.
TAs put to use
TAs involved with children
Teacher lets children talk
quite a bit
Children involved with how
they start the lesson
Participation in decision-making: increase in involvement of school
councils in staff appointments, evaluating teaching and learning and the
governance of the school
Exclusions, attainment & FSM
• Fixed-term exclusions decreased in 13 schools,
stabilized in 3 of the 26 schools for which data were
available. 5 schools had no fixed-term exclusions
throughout the period.
• From 2007 to 2010, eight of the 14 schools that had
more than 20 percent of children eligible for free school
meals (FSM) improved their attainment; seven improved
their attendance and six reduced their fixed-term
exclusions.
• Three of the four schools with over 50 per cent FSM
increased attendance and attainment and reduced their
fixed-term exclusions.
• RRSA may mediate the influence of poor socioeconomic circumstances on outcomes.
Issues for further consideration
• Rights mapped 1:1 with corresponding responsibilities, e.g. ‘The
right is to come to school. And the responsibility is ….for you to get
up on time and come to school’
UNICEF guidance reiterates the relationship between
‘unconditional rights’ and ‘learned responsibilities’, distinction
between ‘having’ and ‘realising’ a right & that rights and
responsibilities need not correspond one-to-one.
• A very few pupils provided evidence of clashes between home and
school cultures arising from the RRS award work e.g. ‘My dad
refers to them as Pakis’
• Midday supervisors, supply teachers and visitors sometimes needed
further support to recognize what it means to be in a rights
respecting school.
• Concerns that fund-raising might sometimes be tokenistic providing
feel-good factor with no greater understanding of the effects of their
actions
• Pyramid work to maximise benefits of transfer to other schools.
Acting on the recommendations
How do you approach the linking of rights and responsibilities?
The three main points to remember are:
• The rights of the child are not conditional on responsibilities.
Rights do imply responsibilities but are independent of
responsibilities.
• A right cannot be withdrawn as a punishment but what can be
withdrawn is the opportunity to infringe other people’s rights.
• Adults working with children need to model rights respecting
behaviour and use rights respecting language in order to
reinforce the benefits of this values system
OFSTED REPORTS
“The school’s work on the UNICEF Rights Respecting
Schools programme has enabled pupils to grow in
maturity and develop a positive understanding of their
rights and responsibilities. Pupils talk about the school’s
very good links with the community and say they enjoy
taking part in fund raising activities. ...By the time pupils
leave the school they are articulate and confident and
prepared very well for the next stage of their education.”
“Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and this is reflected in
their enthusiastic participation in lessons, and their
above average attendance. ‘You are not left alone when
you are new, everyone wants to make friends,’ is a
typical comment made by pupils.”
Primary school reports 2008
The KS2 test
was, 'To write a
short speech to
persuade your
class to support
your choice of
charity.'
31 children sat
the paper and 5
of the children
mentioned.
'rights'. (primary
not in study)
Baroness Morgan: …The point of the Rights Respecting Schools
award is that it is about encouraging children to understand the
needs of others, to respect others and to understand their
responsibilities.
Baroness Garden: My Lords, will the Minister say what feedback has
been received from the schools adopting this UNICEF …
Baroness Morgan: My Lords, we have asked Sussex University to
evaluate the impact of Rights Respecting Schools, because this is a
very important intervention. …We know that Sussex University is
seeing early encouraging signs, such as improvements in the
playground, where children have to deal with difficult situations
where conflicts and bullying arise. There are very encouraging signs
with the development of this programme.
House of Lords debate 3 Feb 2009
Other evaluations
Covell et al. (2011) looked at 3 primary schools
in England who had implemented RRSA and
concluded:
…fully implemented children’s human rights
education, among its other benefits, may be
one means of narrowing the gap between
socially disadvantaged children and their
more advantaged peers.
Critique 1: Lundy (2007)
Lundy (2007, p. 933) proposes the need to: unpack Article 12
by ensuring that children are involved in each stage of
educational decision-making which requires provision for:
• Space: Children must be given the opportunity to express a
view.
• Voice: Children must be facilitated to express their views.
• Audience: The view must be listened to.
• Influence: The view must be acted upon as appropriate.
Without paying attention to all four of these, notions of
student voice may diminish the impact of Article 12 through
education providers offering tokenistic compliance to
consultation but not responding to, nor acting upon children’s
views.
Critique 2: Leitch (2013, p.219)
In order to achieve full recognition of children’s
rights, teachers need to be supported to extend
their skills in collaborative and participative inquiry
with their students, on how to redefine power
relationships in classrooms and to increase their
understandings of the increased ethical demands
this requires.
Accumulating evidence from international research
…suggests that genuine student voice strategies can
be transformational experiences for schools,
teachers, pupils and communities.
“All children must have rights, because all
children are the same, whether coloured, big,
small, everybody’s the same and if they didn’t
have rights, they may not grow up nice.”
Jasmin
Knights Enham Junior School, Andover
28
References
• Covell, K., Howe, B. and Polegato, J. (2011) Children's human rights
education as a counter to social disadvantage: a case study from England,
Educational Research, 53, 2, 193 - 206
• Leitch, R. (2012) Student voice in a global context: Rights, benefits &
limitations. In C. Day (ed.) (2012) Routledge International Handbook of
Teacher and School Development London: Routledge
• Lundy, L. (2007) Voice Is Not Enough: Conceptualising Article 12 of the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, British Educational
Research Journal, 33, 6, 927 - 42
• Sebba, J. & Robinson, C. (2010) Evaluation of UNICEF UK’s Rights
Respecting Schools Award London: UNICEF UK
• Available: http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/EducationDocuments/RRSA_Evaluation_Report.pdf
• UNICEF UK (2013) Rights Respecting Schools Award: A Best Practice
Review London: UNICEF UK Available:
http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/EducationDocuments/RSSA_Good_Practice_Review.pdf