In February 2024 Eastbury Community School was awarded The Rights Respecting Schools Silver Award. 

The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children, and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Silver is given to schools that make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into its ethos and curriculum. 

Staff and students from all three phases of ECS - Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form were involved in the accreditation visit where they spoke about the work done in school to learn about right, through rights and for rights.  

Students explained how they learn about rights throughout the curriculum, in tutor times and assemblies and why this is important – ‘if people don’t know about rights, how are they meant to respect them?’ 

They spoke proudly of the opportunities they have in school to demonstrate their rights through the range of student voice and leadership groups including School Council, Peer Mediators, and Mental Health Ambassadors.  

The Rights Respecting Schools Assessor particularly commended us on the work done to keep our students safe, from work in the curriculum to access to support in school. The strength of student voice and its impact on decision-making throughout the school was recognised alongside the wide range of opportunities students have, to develop their skills as active global citizens.  

‘Achieving the Silver RSS award reflects the importance we as a school community place on encouraging all our pupils to reflect on their place in the world, and how they can and do make a difference. The world is an ever-changing landscape, in order to prepare all our young people for the unknowns of the future, we have to give them the skills to articulate their views, to understand the rights they have and how they need to protect them, not only for themselves, but for others as well. This is another example of how the staff, pupils, governors and parents are a constant source of inspiration to me, and I am so proud ECS has achieved Silver, keeping children and their rights at the heart of a school. Many thanks to the staff, pupils and governors for their incredible hard work and dedication.' 

Ms Sharon Gladman- Executive Headteacher  

What Being a RRS Means to Eastbury Community School

what being a rights respecting school means to eastbury comm.pdf

Article of the Month

ECS Article of the Month - OCTOBER​

​Article 12 -Respect for the views of the child​

​Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously.

Article 12 at ECS​

Respect for students' views is shown in all aspects of school life​

School Council and Student Voice Activities​

Over 120 school council representatives meet weekly in the secondary school to share the views of peers on school matters. School Council meets regularly with the Senior Leadership Team and Governors and their views inform decision making processes. See the school website for more information​

Reflecting on learning and setting next steps​

Throughout the curriculum students participate in evaluation activities to review learning and set next steps with teachers. ​

Supporting student well-being​

Opportunities are provided through the Pastoral System, Safeguarding Team, Inclusion, Youth workers and Mentors, and Student Leadership roles such as Peer mediators and Prefects for students to talk about their well-being.​

How can you support your child to understand and demonstrate Article 12.​

• Talk to your child about how they are feeling.​
• Have a conversation about the news and current affairs

ECS Article of the Month - NOVEMBER​

​Article 2 - No Discrimination

All children have all these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what their religion is, what they think, what they look like, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents or families believe or do. No child should be treated unfairly for any reason.

Assemblies and tutor times 

Each week students come together in their year groups for assemblies to discuss matters which are important to their age and stage, the school community and national focus events. In assemblies and follow-up activities the schools commitment to Equalities and challenging discrimination is a regular theme with year group marking events such as Anti-bullying Week, Black History Month, International Women’s Day and many more.

​Anti-bullying Policy and Practice

The school's anti-bullying policy is regularly reviewed with the school council often being asked for their views. Challenging discrimination is a theme which is weaved through the school's PSHE Education programme with students exploring the impact prejudice and discrimination can haveon  individuals and communities and identifying sources of support

Supporting student well-being​

Opportunities are provided through the Pastoral System, Safeguarding Team, Inclusion, Youth workers and Mentors, School Council and Student Leadership roles such as Peer mediators and Prefects for students to talk about their rights and well-being.​

How can you support your child to understand and demonstrate Article 2.​

• Talk to your child about respect and dignity.​
• Discuss with your child who they should talk to in school if they feel something is unfair
• Talk about why equality is important at school, in your community and in the workplace.

ECS Article of the Month – DECEMBER

Article 42 – Everyone Should know their rights

Governments should actively tell children and adults about this Convention so that everyone knows about children’s rights.

Display around school

Students at ECS are aware of the articles from the United Nations Convention on rights of a child. The Icons for articles are displayed around school in corridors and classrooms. Discussions in assemblies and tutor times are linked to the articles from the United Nations Convention of Rights of a Child.

Rights in the curriculum

In the curriculum students are given the opportunity to link learning in lessons to their rights deepening their understanding of why we learn things and how they can help us in the future. Many subjects including RE, History, Geography PSHE and English will have lessons with a significant focus on Human Rights.

Supporting student well-being

Opportunities are provided through the Pastoral System, Safeguarding Team, Inclusion, Youth workers and Mentors, School Council and Student Leadership roles such as Peer mediators and Prefects for students to talk about their rights and  well-being.​

How can you support your child to understand and demonstrate Article 2.​

• Ask your child about the human rights which they think are important
• Discuss with your child human rights issues in the news and why it is important to understand our human rights.
• Discuss with your child ways in which people can raise awareness of and promote human rights.

• ECS Article of the Month – JANUARY

  Article 28 – A right to access education​

  It is the right of every child to have access to education. Primary education is compulsory and available and free to all.​

   

  

• Article 28 at ECS​

  School Council and Student Voice Activities​

  24 school council representatives meet fortnightly in the primary school to share the views of peers on school matters. Each class then holds a Class Council so that they can report back to their peers and share ideas which may then be brought back to our School Council meeting the following week. ​

  How is this conveyed to pupils?​

  By integrating children’s rights education into its curriculum, staff ensure all students learn about their rights and responsibilities. This can include age-appropriate lessons on the Convention, assemblies, and activities that promote understanding and respect for children’s rights. We have a display in our Ks2 corridor which details all the rights for children to refer to. This helps to reinforce awareness across the school. ​

  Supporting student well-being​

  Opportunities are provided through the PSHE curriculum, Safeguarding Team, Inclusion, Mental Health Ambassadors and Student Leadership roles for students to talk about their well-being.

• ECS Article of the Month – FEBRUARY

  Article 17 - Access to information

  Children have a right to information from a diversity of digital media sources. ​

  'I have the right to get information in lots of ways, as long as it’s safe.'​

  

   

  This Article applies to all kinds of media, including:​

  •    print media― such as newspapers or magazines,​
  •    electronic media― such as websites, and​
  •    audiovisual media― such as radio and television programmes.​

  What does this mean?​

  Information from the media should form part of a child's education. Because of this, it should help ​them learn about:​

  respect for human rights and freedoms,​

  respect for their parents, cultural identity and language,​

  respect for the values of where they live, where they’re from and the other countries of the world​

  respect for the natural environment, and preparation for a responsible life where they treat other people with tolerance.​

  The media should also provide young people with information about their health. It should show young people in a positive light, bringing attention to the good things that young people do and taking care to show people who might be marginalised – such as women and those with disabilities – in a way that is not degrading.​

  Everyone should have access to the media​

  Article 17 applies to all young people, and special efforts should be made to make sure everyone has access to the media. This includes: young people whose freedoms are limited, young people who may find the media difficult to access, such as some of those with disabilities or for whom English is not their first language.​

  To help young people who may find the media difficult to access, media should be translated into multiple languages where this is possible. Media should also be available in formats that are possible for young people with disabilities to access​​

• ECS Article of the Month – MARCH

  Article 24 – is about a child's right to good health.

  Every child has the right to the best possible health. Governments must provide good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food, and a clean environment and education on health and well-being so that children can stay healthy. ​

  Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this.​

  

 

How can we help our children to be healthy?​

•    Ensure we get enough sleep – at least 8 hours ​
•    Eat nutritious food – lots of fruit and vegetables ​
•    Drink water – at least 1 litre a day ​
•    Have good hygiene – wash your body daily & wash your hands every time you visit the toilet​
•    Exercise regularly​
•    Live in a clean environment​
•    Live where you feel safe, secure and respected ​
•    Have good health care - See a doctor or a nurse when you need to and to be vaccinated against diseases ​

Rights Respecting Silver Award

ECS RRSA Report - February 2025ECS RRSA Silver Report - February 2024