Rights Respecting School

As a Rights Respecting school, we are teaching about rights, through rights and for rights: the adults in our Merchiston Community are the duty bearers and our pupils are the rights holders.

Merchiston has been awarded a Silver accreditation as part of the UNICEF Rights Respecting School programme, which is designed to put children's rights at the heart of schools in the UK. 

The Award Programme is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school community and beyond.

Some of the work that has been carried out by the Merchiston Pupil Rights Respecting Steering Committee includes:

• Presenting about the UNCRC, in assemblies, including World book day, Black history month, Human Rights Day.
• Linking our School Values and School Pupil Charter to the UNCRC
• Creating specific RRSA display area (next to Student Forum area, so the link between Student Forum and Rights, is clearly emphasised).
• Audited our Student Forum, using the Lundy Model of Child Participation. This has resulted in suggestion boxes being introduced into boarding houses.