top of page

RRSA

RRSA – Rights Respecting School Gold Award at Belfast High School

​

Belfast High School is Rights Committed

Logo.jpg

WHAT IS RRSA?

The Rights Respecting Schools Award, run by UNICEF UK, puts children’s rights at the heart of schools. It seeks to create safe and inspiring learning spaces where children are respected, talents are nurtured and students thrive, thus allowing students to become responsible, active citizens. Using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a guide, RRSA work with over 1.7 million children and over 5,000 UK Rights Respecting Schools on a journey to become fully Rights Respecting.

WHAT DOES RRSA INVOLVE?

The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the principles of the UNCRC into practice within the school and beyond, embedding young people’s rights in school practice and ethos. The Award covers school leadership, knowledge and understanding of children’s rights, ethos and relationships and the empowerment of children and young people. The Award has three levels, namely: Bronze: Rights Committed, Silver: Rights Aware and Gold: Rights Respecting.

 

VISIT:  https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/ to find out more!

​

To find out more about children’s rights VISIT: https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/11/UN0332751.pdf

Belfast High School was awarded the Bronze RRSA Award in June 2023.

​

Belfast High School was awarded the Silver RRSA Award in June 2024.

​

Belfast High School was awarded the Gold RRSA Award in June 2025.

​

At Belfast High School, we are now both Rights Committed and Rights Aware.

​

Currently, our pupil led steering group, Outright, is working hard to become fully Rights Respecting.

WHO LEADS THE RRSA WORK AT BHS?

Outright is a steering group of dedicated pupils and staff, working together with young people, teachers,  the senior management team, governors and the whole school community, to lead Belfast High School’s  RRSA work on embedding the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in school life. It is largely pupil led and these students play a key role in raising whole school awareness of rights and in driving forward positive change within both the school and the wider community.

​

Pupils meet weekly and work alongside others of varying age groups and while their work primarily seeks to benefit others, this also provides our students with the opportunity to develop a range of invaluable skills such as teamwork, evaluative, planning and decision-making skills as well as leadership and communication skills.

THE RIGHT RIGHT HOUSE COMPETITION

As part of our journey to become Rights Aware and attain Silver Accreditation with the RRSA programme, our Belfast High School pupil led steering group, OUTRIGHT, is running a monthly Right Right House Competition, where pupils, selected randomly from each key stage, can win both house points and a free canteen pass, if they can:

  • State what UNCRC stands for.

  • Give the number of the monthly UNCRC article, raised in a monthly assembly.

  • Provide details of the named article.

​

Good luck to all pupils from Storey, Pyper, Boyd and Watson, as all is to play for in becoming RIGHTS AWARE!

bottom of page