Wigan secondary school celebrates children's rights in the classroom

Dean Trust Wigan has been awarded the Bronze: Rights Committed accolade in the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools Award.

Run by the UK committee of the global organisation, the prizes put pupils’ rights at the centre of education and ensure they are embedded at the heart of daily life in schools.

Samantha Webster, deputy headteacher at Dean Trust Wigan, said: “We have worked very hard as a community to ensure children look after their wellbeing, be active participants, develop healthy relationships and increase self-esteem.

“We are beginning to see the positive impact of these actions on children and on the school’s ethos, practice and environment.”

Unicef UK works with schools to create inspiring places to learn where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive.

The organisation says the award recognises schools’ achievements in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice.

Staff and students at the Greenhey school in Orrell had to work together to achieve the award as it is about the entire community learning about children’s rights and then putting them into action.

Unicef UK says the award should have an impact on the school in the four key areas of improving children’s wellbeing so they are healthier and more positive, making sure pupils feel safe and able to participate fully in school life, enabling better relationships to form and boosting young people’s self-esteem.

The awards website says that schools can spend anything up to around four years working through the stages of the accolade.

Dean Trust Wigan will now be able to begin working on the silver and gold sections.

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