We are a Rights Respecting School!

Gold…

☆ Ty Gwyn Achieves the third stage of the Rights Respecting Schools Award.

Gold: Rights Respecting! ☆

We are proud to announce that Ty Gwyn has achieved the second stage of the Rights Respecting Schools Award, Silver: Rights Aware. 

Ty Gwyn is 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. Ty Gwyn pupils learn about their rights every day and we really hope that you will be able to support our school on our journey towards becoming a Unicef UK Rights Respecting Gold School.

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). In signing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child all governments have a responsibility to make both children and adults aware of these rights. These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential. For further information about Rights Respecting Schools please visit:  www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa

How does teaching about children's rights fit in with the aims of the school?

Rights Respecting Schools enables our pupils to become confident, caring and responsible individuals in school and in the wider community. Through learning about their rights pupils understand the importance of respecting the rights of others. Rights Respecting encourages pupil voice, to help pupils understand they have a right to an opinion and to be heard, to develop critical and informed thinking. 

Our recent assessor wrote in her report: 

"Importantly, it was clear that the school provides a child centred approach, so that every pupil regardless of learning need, background or barrier has access to a caring, inclusive, rights based learning environment. At the heart of this is Article 12 and enabling children and young people to communicate and have a voice."

Click below to read our report.

________________________________

Ty Gwyn is a Rights Respecting School where:

• Pupils learn about their rights, gain self-esteem and self-respect.
• Pupils learn that they have a responsibility to respect other people’s rights.
• Pupils understand that they have a voice, to develop critical thinking and informed decision making.
• Pupils become ethical and responsible global citizens. 

________________________________

What is meant by rights?

Rights are basic human needs and values that apply to everyone. Rights are not the same as wants. For example a personal computer or fashionable clothes are wants. Education, medical care or protection from abuse are needs. See our wants and needs game below.

What are responsibilities?

With rights there comes responsibilities, these are:

For children: The responsibility to respect the rights of other children and adults.

For parents: The responsibility to respect and provide the rights for their children.

For schools: The responsibility to support families and raise awareness of children’s rights and to respect and provide the rights of children.

________________________________

What about children respecting the rights of others?

In Ty Gwyn we promote the importance of pupils respecting each other’s rights. We help pupils to recognise that in parts of the world children may not have their rights and needs met. We highlight the importance of caring about every individuals’ rights.

________________________________

Key articles:

The UNCRC consists of 54 articles, key articles of the provision are:

• Article 36 and 19 – The right to a childhood and protection from harm.
• Article 28 and 29 – The right to an education.
• Article 2 - The right to be treated fairly regardless of race, religion, ability and to not be discriminated against. All children have these rights.
• Article 24 – The right to good health, this includes medical care, nutritious food and clean water.
• Article 12 – The right to be heard and have their views and opinions listened to.

________________________________

How can you as a parent/carer support what your child is learning about their rights?

• Discuss with your child their rights.
• Ask them what they have learnt about children’s rights.
• Discuss what they have learnt and give examples of rights being respected or denied.
• Ask your child their opinion and views of rights and how they respect other people’s rights.
• Promote rights, respect and responsibility outside of school.
• Ask your child their opinion of things, allow them to have a voice and to be heard.
• Using Rights Respecting language at home.

Using Rights Respecting language at home.  

• It is your right to play, it is your responsibility to tidy up afterwards ok.
• You have the right to watch TV, it is your responsibility to switch it off when it is time for tea.
• You have the right to an opinion, it is your responsibility to listen to the opinion of others too.
• You have the right to watch your iPad before bed, but it your responsibility to turn it off when it is time to go to sleep.
• We all have the right to live in a clean world, it is your responsibility to put your rubbish in the bin.
• You have the right to eat a nutritious meal, it is your responsibility to eat sensibly at the dinner table.

________________________________

Article 15 - I have the right to meet with friends and join clubs.

Article 12 - I have the right to be listened to and taken seriously. 

Article 23 - If I have a disability, I have the right to specialist health care and education.

29.04.22

In this weeks school council meeting, we talked about the design of our new Rights Respecting School mascot. The pupils had input into the design by telling us what they liked/disliked about it, whether they were happy with the mascot or not.

We then did a quick Rights Respecting Schools questionnaire about how our pupils rights are met; whether they enjoy school, if they feel they are listened to, if they feel safe in school, if their friends are kind. 

After that we helped ECO Schools by taking a look at our outside areas and playgrounds and deciding where we want to plant the new trees.

Our School Council members then what activities the school were going to do to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. We voted and the outcome was: 

• Fancy dress. 
• Street party. 
• Decorate a cake for the Queen.

Finally we had an update on our letter to Cardiff Council about the surfacing of the pavements and roads in our community. Cardiff council wrote back to us and said that they would be more than happy to help  us and take a look at the roads/pavements needing resurfacing. Now we need to reply to Cardiff council telling them where the problems are. 

Well done School Council and Thank you to Cardiff Council for being so helpful!

________________________________

03.03.2022

In this weeks school council meeting we discussed snacks that we have in our classes and whether they are healthy or not healthy. We then talked about the texture of the pavement and roads out in the community, whether they were rough, smooth, safe or unsafe and we decided whether or not we need to send a letter to Cardiff Council asking them to look at the surfacing so that it is wheelchair user friendly. We decided that we should send a letter, well done School Council! 

________________________________

31.01.2022

In this week School Council meeting we were able to meet up to discuss the possibility of the school expanding. Children understood that this meant there would be more students at school. 

We then discussed that more pupils means more classes and more pupils would need to access our specialist provision rooms as we all have a right to specialist care and education (Article 23). This means that rooms such as rebound therapy, splash pool & soft play would need to be shared and put onto a bigger rota so we may not have them as often as we normally do. 

School council said they would be happy to have more friends join the school and they would be more than willing to share these resources. 

Well done school council, we told Diane how you feel about the expansion. 

________________________________

We have created a ‘wants and needs’ game for you to engage with your child/children if appropriate. These games will introduce children and young people to their rights by helping them to consider the difference between a WANT and a NEED.

Click here to play our Rights Respecting Schools Needs and Wants game!

________________________________