Learning the importance of children's rights
Cllr Jayne Francis, cabinet member for education, skills and culture, talks about how all our children can learn about how to respect human rights:
I had a wonderful opportunity to meet some amazing children the other day who are learning about the importance of children’s rights.
So many of Birmingham’s schools have now achieved the Unicef Rights Respecting School award and I had the privilege of visiting two that have achieved the gold award: Nelson Mandela primary and Jakeman nursery.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the UK signing up to the United Nations Child Rights Convention (UNCRC) and I was delighted to meet some of the children and read the letters they had sent showing their interest in visiting 10 Downing Street.
The children really understand the importance of global citizenship and children’s rights and how it can be embedded in everyday lessons. They are so keen to help others learn about children’s rights and why they are so important. Birmingham is a national leader in this area and it is fantastic to see so many schools getting involved.
I was particularly impressed with the links Nelson Mandela school has with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the ‘geography of Shakespeare’.
Jakeman is one of 27 nurseries in the city to have attained Rights Respecting School status and I was given a tour by a young rights respecting leader. I also met a parent who shared her experiences of being supported by the staff during a particularly challenging time for her family and whose daughter has made significant progress due to the inclusive approach at the nursery.
This just shows how important and fundamental human rights are, and this includes children’s rights, so it is wonderful to see our young people so passionate about their rights and respecting others.
I look forward to my next visit!
This blog was posted on 20 December 2021
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