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

Unicef 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 our guide, we are working with more UK schools than almost any other organisation. Over 1.5 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and more than 4,500 schools up and down the country are working through the Award. Schools work with us 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.'

At Venture Academy, we believe in the ethos and spirit behind this award. We achieved our BRONZE award in 2025 and are presently working hard to achieve SILVER, which will mean that children's rights are fully embedded in our school.

What does a SILVER Rights Respecting School look like? (Taken from the RRS website)

• Your school is explicitly embedding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in its policy, practice and culture.
• You are promoting knowledge and understanding of the Convention throughout your school community.
• You are putting into action and developing the plans outlined on your Action Plan for Silver, which you submitted to achieve Bronze: Rights Committed.
• You are beginning to see the positive impact of these actions on children and young people, staff, and on the school’s ethos, practice and environment.
• Children and young people are beginning to see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and advocates for fairness and children’s rights, both locally and globally.

Progress towards Silver tends to happen organically, and every school will work in a slightly different way. What you are aiming for is:

1. Teaching and Learning about rights: for the whole school community through training, curriculum, assemblies, topics, focus days/weeks, displays.
2. Teaching and Learning through rights: by modelling rights respecting language and attitudes, and making strategic decisions that involve students.
3. Being ambassadors for the rights of others: developing as rights respecting citizens.

Find out more about the RRS SILVER status here

AWARENESS DAYS

Worldwide or National Awareness Days that promote healthy lifestyles, Safeguarding or personal development are planned into our year.

These include: 

• Children’s Mental Health Week
• Neurodiversity Celebration Week
• World Autism Awareness Day
• International Day of Friendship
• Black History Month
• 4 PACE Days (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy)
• World Book Day
• World Health Day