The work of one Swansea primary school to make pupils aware of their own rights and the rights of others has been hailed by Welsh inspectors.
THE WORK of one Swansea primary school to make pupils aware of their own rights and the rights of others has been hailed by Welsh inspectors.
Hafod Primary School was singled out for leading practice in its work with pupils’ rights by the Welsh inspection body Estyn, following a report which saw it rated Good with Excellent prospects for improvement.
The way the school leads on promoting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has now been held up as an example by Estyn on the inspection body’s website so their ideas can be spread further.
Among the ways by which the school promotes the UNCRC is by giving pupils the chance to observe lessons and offer feedback to staff and governors. They have written their own improvement plan, policies and a children’s prospectus.
Another right the school promotes is the right of children to have access to healthy food. The school agrees to uphold this right with school lunches and parents accept their responsibility to provide healthy lunchboxes.
Jen Raynor, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education said:
“I’d like to congratulate Hafod Primary for their work in embedding the principles of Rights Respecting Schools and for the impact which that is having on standards in the school.
“The Estyn report notes that the approach at Hafod is having a positive effect on the school community. Pupils take greater responsibility for behaviour and both relationships and attendance have improved.”
Hafod Primary School Headteacher Rachel Webb said: “We wanted to develop the values which would allow us to grow as a healthy, tolerant school community, while improving behaviour and standards. We are happy that Estyn have noted our pupils’ increase in ethical intelligence, their positive attitudes to diversity and an improvement in learning and standards.”
Swansea Council became the first local authority in the UK to voluntarily make a public commitment to children’s rights. The authority’s Children and Young People’s Rights Scheme sets out how those rights should be promoted in Swansea, and how the local authority could comply with the conventions and monitor that compliance
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