Charles Darwin Primary receives prestigious UNICEF UK Award

Charles Darwin Primary has been awarded the Silver Rights Respecting School Award by UNICEF UK. UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children, and young people to respect the rights of others in school.

Silver is given to schools that make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into its ethos and curriculum. There are over 1,300 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales that have achieved Silver and over 600 schools that have been awarded Gold, the next step up and highest accolade granted by UNICEF UK.

Principal of Charles Darwin Primary, Maxine Sebire said:

"Achieving the Silver Award is a proud moment and a fantastic milestone, and we’re excited to continue our journey towards Gold. Together, we will keep building a culture where rights and responsibilities shape our decisions as a school."

"Our pupils are at the heart of everything we do. Embedding children’s rights into daily school life ensures they grow as confident, compassionate citizens who understand the importance of fairness and equality."

Rights Respecting School Lead at Charles Darwin Primary, Charlotte Murawski said:

“Staff and pupils were delighted to learn that Charles Darwin has been awarded Silver Rights Respecting School status. Our assessor highlighted that our pupils felt their involvement in the Rights Respecting journey had broadened their understanding of people and communities across the world. Our pupils take pride in knowing their rights and in confidently and respectfully advocating for them. We are now excited to build on this success as we begin our journey toward achieving the Gold award".

The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.

The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK, including those in an early years setting. Currently, it works with nearly 5,000 primary schools, secondary schools, schools for children and young people with special educational needs and pupil referral units across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Schools have reported a positive impact on pupil behaviour, relationships and well-being by enhancing pupils’ self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards.

The Assessor of our Rights Respecting School Award said:

"Much work has been done in a relatively short space of time at Charles Darwin Primary School since the Bronze accreditation, particularly in the areas of pupil voice and global citizenship. Formal pupil voice is channelled through the pupil parliament, sports leaders, digital leaders, school ambassadors and librarians. One pupil acknowledged how, 'The school gives us a lot of 
chances to be in a leadership role.'

 

One pupil described how the best thing about Charles Darwin Primary is that, 'The school makes us very aware of people in the world.' A teacher said of the pupils, 'They have a better understanding of how they’re affecting others’ rights.' I look forward to hearing about your progress to Gold in 2026."