Here at Undershaw Education Trust in Hindhead, we are proudly celebrating a major milestone, having been awarded the Silver Rights Respecting School Award by UNICEF UK. This prestigious recognition marks a significant achievement in the school’s ongoing commitment to championing children’s rights and placing them at the heart of everyday school life.
Recognising a Whole-School Commitment to Children’s Rights
UNICEF, the world’s leading organisation for children and their rights, grants the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) to schools that demonstrate dedication to understanding and embodying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Silver accreditation is awarded to schools that have made excellent progress in embedding these principles throughout their ethos, curriculum, and culture. More than 1,300 schools across the UK currently hold Silver status, with just over 600 achieving the highly coveted Gold Award.
A Celebration on Human Rights Day
Undershaw has worked closely with UNICEF since Autumn 2024, and the journey to Silver was marked with a very special celebration. On 10 December 2025—Human Rights Day—the school’s Rights Respecting group led a dedicated assembly to commemorate the achievement.
The assembly featured a creative retelling of Cinderella, reframing the story through the lens of children’s rights. Students explored how Cinderella was denied key rights, including:
- The right to be heard in decisions affecting her
- The right to a decent standard of living
- The right to education
The performance was followed by a moving rendition of “SOS from the Kids” by the school choir, capturing the emotion and significance of the moment. To mark the milestone, every student received a silver chocolate coin—a sweet and memorable token of the school’s success.
Placing Values at the Centre of School Life
Headteacher Emma West expressed her pride in the school’s achievement:
”"We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the UNICEF Silver Rights Respecting School Award. This recognition reflects our whole-school commitment to putting children’s rights at the heart of everything we do. It celebrates the way our pupils, staff, and wider community live out our core values of Respect, Kindness, and Resilience every day. Achieving the Silver Award is an important milestone in our journey, and we look forward to continuing to build a school environment where every child feels valued, heard, and empowered."
The Award demonstrates Undershaw’s dedication to ensuring that children’s rights are understood, taught, practised, and protected across all areas of school life.
A School That Puts Children First
UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Programme Director, Martin Russell, praised the school’s commitment:
”"We are very pleased to be awarding Undershaw with their Silver Rights Respecting Schools Award. It is wonderful to see the commitment the whole school has made to promote and embed children’s rights into their practice. We were particularly impressed with the way they put children at the centre of everything they do and the importance they place on listening to children and young people’s views."
He also highlighted UNICEF’s excitement about supporting Undershaw as it continues its Rights Respecting journey.
The Wider Impact of Rights Respecting Schools
The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools programme is delivered across nearly 5,000 schools in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales—including mainstream settings, special schools, early years settings, and pupil referral units.
Nationally, participating schools report a wide range of benefits, including:
- Improved pupil wellbeing and self-esteem
- Better behaviour and relationships across school communities
- Reduced bullying and truancy
- Increased engagement with learning
- Improved academic outcome
Undershaw’s achievement places it firmly among the schools leading the way in creating safe, supportive, and empowering environments for all children.
