Crathes primary earns UNICEF gold award for championing children’s rights

Crathes Primary School has been once again awarded gold by UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme for its work promoting and realising children’s rights.

Teachers and pupils have been working with UNICEF UK for the past 13 years. 

Following a reaccreditation visit, the school maintained its gold - currently one of only 12 schools in Aberdeenshire to hold the status.

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.

Assessors praised the way children’s rights are fully embedded in every aspect of school life and underpin the school’s ethos. 

The reaccreditation report highlighted the school’s nurturing, family atmosphere and the strong relationships it has built with parents and carers, who actively support and engage with its Rights Respecting work. 

Assessors commended the use of pupil-created charters throughout the school, which are regularly reviewed to promote respect for children’s rights and the responsibilities of both pupils and adults. 

The report also recognised the school’s caring and inclusive culture, where dignity, respect and equality are lived values, helping pupils feel safe, valued and listened to. 

Gold is the highest accolade given by UNICEF UK and recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice.

A strong rights-based focus on health and wellbeing was another key strength for the school, with initiatives such as the Bounce Back programme, outdoor learning and forest school activities ensuring children feel supported, nurtured and equipped to thrive. 

Headteacher Maureen Fraser said: “Our reaccreditation involved gathering lots of evidence to illustrate how we use rights to support our pupils and use the UNCRC to underpin everything we do at Crathes. 

“We are hugely grateful for the time and support from pupils, parents and staff that helped us put together our application. A special thanks to those who contributed to representing us during our official assessment in the last week of term.”