The High School of Glasgow Achieves UNICEF UK Silver Rights Respecting Schools Award

We are delighted to announce that The High School of Glasgow has been awarded Silver: Rights Aware status by UNICEF UK's Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA), following a successful accreditation visit in April.

The Rights Respecting Schools Award recognises schools that place the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the heart of their ethos, culture and daily life. Having registered for the programme in November 2021 and achieved Bronze status in February 2023, this latest milestone reflects the dedication of our whole school community - pupils, staff and families alike - across both our Junior and Senior Schools.

To achieve Silver, the school was required to demonstrate progress across three strands: teaching and learning about rights, teaching and learning through rights, and teaching and learning for rights. The assessor confirmed that all three had been achieved, finding that knowledge of children's rights is becoming firmly embedded across the school, that decisions affecting children are increasingly rooted in rights, and that our pupils are being empowered to exercise their own rights and champion the rights of others, both locally and globally.

During the accreditation visit, the assessor spoke with nine pupils representing both the Junior and Senior Schools, along with teachers, support staff, our Librarian and parents.

Pupils of all ages confidently demonstrated their knowledge of the CRC, discussing specific articles and key concepts with assurance and showing real awareness of the barriers some children face in accessing their rights, as well as touching on the many charitable activities they have undertaken to help contribute towards addressing these challenges.

The assessor highlighted several examples of rights in action across the High School. Our 'Rights Respecting Reads' initiative was singled out as a particularly noteworthy example of how rights have been built into learning. Staff also described how rights awareness is shaping the curriculum itself, influencing the choice of novels studied and, in some cases, refreshing texts that had been in use for decades.

Reflecting on the School's journey, Rector Antonia Berry observed:

I think there has been a cultural shift influenced by the UNCRC. We're seeing direct impact on school policy as a result."

This shift has brought a greater focus on pupil voice and the development of confidence and agency throughout the school.

In his concluding reflection, the assessor noted that rights play an important role across both the Junior and Senior Schools, complementing an existing ethos where the holistic development of children and young people sits at the centre. He described the school as "certainly deserving" of Silver status, and well placed to continue on to Gold.

Our thanks go to our RRSA coordinators, Mrs Hallam (Junior School) and Mrs Sutherland (Senior School), and to every pupil, member of staff and parent who has contributed to this achievement.

The journey continues - Gold status is firmly in our sights!