UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award and Accreditations and Key Documents
Children's House Montessori aims to be a school where children's rights are at the heart of our ethos and culture, to improve well-being and to develop every child's talents and abilities to their full potential.
ReAccredited GOLD 2024
Children's House Montessori has been reaccredited Gold and continues to meet the standard for UNICEF UK's Right Respecting Schools Award at Gold: Rights Respecting.
You can read the RRSA Reaccreditation report here.
You can also view our first Gold assessment report.
We have been awarded UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Gold!! This is the third stage of the award, having previously gained bronze and Silver. It is granted by UNICEF UK to schools that have fully embedded children's rights throughout the school in its policies, practice and ethos, as outlined in the RRSA Strands and Outcomes.
To achieve Gold: Rights Respecting, schools are assessed by a UNICEF Professional Adviser and in our case we were also assessed by the Head of the UNICEF RRSA programme who both looked at the whole school's rights respecting work and the impact that has been made through embedding children's rights into school life.
Achieving Gold: Rights Respecting means there is evidence that:
- Our school has explicitly adopted a child rights approach based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and has embedded it in school policy, practice and culture.
- Our Children, and adults in our school have a thorough understanding of child rights, and rights respecting attitudes and language are embedded across the school.
- RRSA has had a positive impact on children and young people's learning and wellbeing.
- Our Children, age appropriate see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and are advocates for social justice, fairness and children's rights at home and abroad.
Our Children also play an increasingly leading role in driving progress. At Gold: Rights Respecting, we intensify and broaden:
- Teaching and Learning about rights: for the whole school community through training, curriculum, assemblies, topics, focus days/weeks, displays.
- Teaching and Learning through rights: by modelling rights respecting language and attitudes and making strategic decisions that involve students.
- Being ambassadors for the rights of others: developing as rights respecting citizens.
Unicef is the world's leading organisation working for children and young people and their rights. In 1989, governments across the world agreed that all children have the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential.
Our children will learn about their rights by putting them into practice every day. A Rights Respecting School models rights and respect in all its relationships.
Listen to Sam, a three year old who attends our school explaining to his mum the ABCDE of Rights and the rights he has.
A for all children in all the world have these rights
B for you are born with these rights
C for no one can take them away
D that they are unconditional
E that they are all of equal value
We are always striving to create the best possible learning environment for our children and this achievement shows that we are committed to promoting and realising children's rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. We have set up a steering group and have an action plan to ensure that:
- the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) underpins our values and decision making in school
- the whole school learns about the CRC and respects the rights of others
- children are empowered to become active learners and active local and global citizens.
Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) is the world's leading organisation working for children and their rights and we will be joining a community of over 4,000 schools in the UK working on the Rights Respecting Schools Award. Right Respecting Schools across the country have reported that that the Award has many positive impacts including improved relationships, well-being and self-esteem, leading to better attendance and improved learning.
You can find out more about the Unicef, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Rights Respecting Schools Award from the RRSA website.
Accreditations and Key Documents
We have a full range of policies available upon request.
Read our:
Reaccreditation 2024 - Unicef Gold - Rights Aware Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) award
Unicef Gold - Rights Aware Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) award
Early Years Foundation and Montessori (Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage in Montessori settings)
Children's House Montessori Certification / MEAB (Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board - School Accreditation)
Quality Assured Montessori (QAM) Mark
Children's House Montessori has been awarded the Quality Assured Montessori mark. QAM is an improvement process for Montessori early years practice. The QAM management principles are adopted the British Standards Institute in the 1970s and then formally adopted across the whole world in 1987 by the International Standards Organization. The Award is in recognition of the delivery of the 7 QAM principles, which are
- Delivery - Children's Needs are met and expectations exceeded.
- Purposeful - Everyone thinks and acts with unity of purpose.
- Engaged - All staff are engaged, competent and empowered.
- Processes - A system of inter- related process are followed.
- Improving - Everyone has an ongoing focus on improvement.
- Evidential - Plans are based on data, evidence and experience.
- Relations - Internal and external relations are optimised.
Collaborative Accreditation
Collaborative Montessori Accreditation (CMA) Report.
YouTube Links
Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfill their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a childs experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in it's own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provides the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grown up. EYFS, 2014
