The fireworks are going off in Burton town centre, indicating the turning on of the Christmas lights and highlighting the start of the festive season for us as a family. I love fireworks…I can’t help it…they fill me with awe and wonder and remind me of how it feels to be a child.
“Children demand honesty and simplicity. They expect words to line up with deeds. They have a strong sense of justice and fair play. They look at everything with new eyes, and point out to us the incredible beauty of the world around us”.
This quote from a book ‘Their Name is Today’ by Johann Christoph Arnold is a text I regularly turn to. It reminds me of the wonder of childhood and the potential and hope that children offer. It reminds me to stay child-centered.
At Fradley Park, we will begin our journey towards the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award within the first year of opening.
This is a significant commitment and not one based upon collecting rosettes or framing certificates but rather one focussed on building healthy relationships and scaffolding our school values.
Our school ethos will encompass children’s voices and ensure they are heard, valued and respected. Our school will be a place where children, maybe for the first time in their lives, believe that they are capable of changing the world.
The rights of children is not something that trips off the tongue. They should. They will be at the heart of our school.
Children’s rights are:
UNIVERSAL – Rights are for all children all over the world
INHERENT – All children are born with these rights
INALIENABLE – Rights cannot be taken away
UNCONDITIONAL – Rights do not have to be earnt
INDIVISABLE – All rights are equally important
Follow these links to find out more about Rights Respecting Schools:
→ https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/the-rrsa/about-the-rrsa/
