The Rights Respecting Schools Award puts children’s rights at the heart of schools in the UK.

The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Our Rights Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.

Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as a guide, UNICEF are working with more UK schools than almost any other organisation. Over 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and nearly 5,000 schools up and down the country are working through the Award. Schools work with UNICEF on a journey to become fully Rights Respecting.

The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond.

We had our re-accreditation visit in January 2024 and have since received confirmation from UNICEF that Aycliffe Community Primary School continues to meet the standard for UNICEF UK's Rights Respecting Schools Award at Gold Level. 

These are some of the strengths identified by UNICEF for our school:

" Rights learning is fully embedded across the curriculum using a wide range of age appropriate, creative resources."

"Relationships based on mutual respect and trust. Learning about rights is clearly affecting relationships in a positive way and all children feel valued and supported to be the best they can be."

"Confident children who clearly knew that they had rights and are committed to helping realise these for other children locally and gloablly."
 

We are very proud of the report from UNICEF, which is attached below.