UNICEF UK RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOL AWARD

ASSESSMENT REPORT

LEVEL TWO

School: / St John’s Academy
Headteacher: / Sean Hagney
RRSA coordinators: / Jan Jack and Lawrie Stewart
Local authority: / Perth and Kinross
Assessors: / Maxine Jolly and Martin Russell
Date: / 7th November 2014

1. INTRODUCTION

We would like to thank the leadership team, staff and young people for their warm welcome to the school, for the opportunity to speak with staff and pupils during the assessment and for the evidence detailing the work towards becoming a Level 2 rights-respecting school. Prior to the assessment visit you provided a comprehensive self-evaluation form and impact evaluation form. It was clear to the assessors during the visit that everyone places a real importance on developing a rights respecting ethos. We appreciated the opportunity to speak to so many people involved in the life of the school and also the extensive portfolio of evidence detailing all the work that had been undertaken.

St John’s has only very recently achieved Level 1 of the award (April 2014), and it is an outstanding achievement to move to Level 2 in such a short space of time.

The following were felt to be key strengths of the school:-

Polite, confident pupils who were proud of their school

High level of pupil participation throughout the school

The extent to which the wider community is actively involved in RRSA

The clear connections between initiatives such as Fairtrade and the UNCRC

High quality of displays linked to UNCRC throughout all stages and departments of the school

Commitment to the award from all members of the school staff

Standards A, B, C and D have all met the necessary criteria

2. REQUIREMENTS BEFORE ATTAINING LEVEL 2

None

3. MAINTAINING LEVEL 2

Our experience has shown that there are actions that have proven useful in other RRSA schools and settings in helping them to maintain and build on their practice at Level 2. Here are our recommendations for your school:

Continue to develop charters in various aspects of the wider school community, linking the convention with respectful behaviours

Continue to provide opportunities for pupils to contribute to the school improvement planning process

Continue to find opportunities for pupils to engage in a wide range of campaigning, and share these with the local community

Continue to work as an ambassador for the award, and consider inviting the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People to the school

4. THE ASSESSMENT IN DETAIL

4.1. The school context

St John’s RC Academy is an all through 3-18 Catholic school in Perth with 980 pupils on roll. 73% of pupils are White Scottish; nearly 15% are Polish. 14% of pupils are eligible for Free Meals.

An HMIe inspection in April identified the school as good or very good across all criteria.

The school registered to become rights-respecting in December 2011 when they moved onto one campus.

4.2. Assessment information

Self-evaluation form received / Yes
Impact evaluation form received / Yes
Attendees at SLT meeting / Headteacher / RRSA coordinator / deputes h
Number of children and young people interviewed / 19 pupils in steering group (P1-S6)
10 pupils on learning walk (primary)
2 pupils on learning walk (secondary)
3 nursery classes
2 P7 classes
2 P3 classes
2 P6 classes
3 pupils in S1-S6 tutor group
Number of staff interviewed / 6 teaching staff (representatives from nursery, primary and secondary)
1 support staff
3 parents
Catering Worker
Parish Youth Worker
School Business Manager
Library Supervisor
Community Worker
Evidence provided / Learning walk
Written evidence
Displays
Lessons
Standard A:
Rights-respecting values underpin leadership and management
Standard A has been achieved

It was very clear to the assessors that the Head Teacher and Senior Management Team were highly committed to the award and to ensuring that the convention was embedded in the policies and procedures of day to day school life. This level of commitment resonated throughout the school, with all staff, pupils and members of the school community clearly articulating the positive impact of RRSA. The Vision and Values of the school were underpinned by the UNCRC, and many policies had been written to make reference to the convention. Of particular note was the school’s ‘Relationships Policy’, which included approaches to attainment, attendance and inclusion. The policy was very highly thought of by staff and pupils, and had been adopted by other schools in the Local Authority.

The School Improvement Plan made clear reference to RRSA, and the Head Teacher was able to describe how everyone in the school was involved. New staff were given input on RRSA as part of their induction, and this was often lead and initiated by pupils. The Head Teacher explained that, ‘we are no longer working towards becoming a rights respecting school – we are a rights respecting school’, and it was evident that due to the high level of involvement of all staff and SMT that succession planning was secure, and RRSA was embedded in school life.

All staff, pupils and parents who met with the assessors felt that pupil voice was highly regarded, and that there was an open, participatory and inclusive ethos permeating the school. One pupil explained how his additional support needs were no longer met by withdrawal from class, but by additional staff coming to him – this was after he had expressed a view that he did not like having to leave his class to receive support. Pupils are fully included in any meetings about their needs. The school has led CPD for other schools, and pupils have been involved in hosting visits and visiting other schools who want to become rights respecting. The Head Teacher was speaking about RRSA at a national Catholic school conference on the day of the assessment.

The school has taken a lead role on RRS in the wider community, and many groups who use the building are also involved – examples include the after school club, Rainbows, and the library. The local parish was also highly committed, and pupils from the school had spoken about rights in church services. New children with English as an Additional Language are buddied up with older bi-lingual children, who can explain RRS and the UNCRC to them.

Global Citizenship and Sustainability are planned for systematically, and the Head teacher’s recent visit to Ethiopia had provided a learning opportunity across the school, from Nursery to S6. There are explicit links between the UNCRC and Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), and also Health and Well Being. In the Primary department teachers’ plans evidence that UNCRC is linked into all areas of the curriculum. Secondary pupils meet daily in vertical tutor groups where the UNCRC and global issues are discussed. All secondary departments reference UNCRC in their planning, and teachers also complete a ‘validation sheet’ after they have had a discussion about UNCRC. Across the school there were many examples of pupils linking their work on sustainability and Global citizenship with the UNCRC, and teachers reported that this was often done without any prompts from them.

Standard B:
The whole school community learns about the CRC
Standard B has been achieved

Throughout the school pupils, staff and members of the wider community were able to give examples of rights, and all had a clear understanding of the unconditionally and universality of rights. One parent explained that her P5 child had linked items on the news to the Convention, and this had made him more reflective and appreciative of his own circumstances. The pupils have supported other schools in working towards RRS, most notably their feeder primaries and another 3-18 school. An S6 pupil explained how she enjoyed these opportunities, and how it had developed her confidence. Pupils were actively supporting the rights of other through charity work and other learning – for example the P7 class had been thinking about their wishes for the future, and linking these to the convention. In the primary department the pupils had a right of the fortnight, and in the secondary an article of the week – these were regularly discussed in classes and tutor groups and in assemblies.

Parents had been informed about RRRS and the UNCRC through a variety of displays, newsletters, the website and Parent Council meetings. Of particular note was a high profile display in the library, with leaflets available for members of the community to take away. In the nursery the RRSA display also included the convention in Polish, and a community worker had supported Polish parents to access the Polish UNICEF website. Homework tasks helped involve all parents, and members of the Parent Council were actively involved in promoting awareness of RRSA, and worked closely with the RRSA Committee and other pupil groups.

High quality displays were throughout the school from nursery to the secondary department. Examples included a ‘Peace One Day’ display linked to articles 38 (protection from freedom from war) and 19 (protection from harm), the water fountain linked to article 24 and the P7s residential trip linked to Article 31 (relax and play). Throughout the school there was a strong ‘branding’ and the school logo had been printed with various articles on it, and the pupils used these to add to displays. The Technical and Art Departments in the secondary school had been central to developing logos and banners which were displayed throughout the school, and the Modern Foreign Languages department had produced posters with the articles in French. There was good evidence that the UNCRC was being taught across all stages and subjects in the school – for example in music secondary pupils had been asked to compose a piece of music linked to an article.

Global Citizenship was given a high profile, for example in nursery pupils had been exploring the lives of children in the Philippines and Bolivia, and exploring similarities and differences in their lives. The school also has an active eco-committee and supports Fairtrade – staff and pupils are clear about how these are underpinned by the convention and primary age pupils readily explained the connection without prompting.

Standard C:
The school has a rights-respecting ethos
Standard C has been achieved

Charters have been developed for all classes from nursery to S6, and for other areas of the school. Of particular note were charters developed by other school users such as the community library and after school club. Pupils were able to explain how they had been involved in developing the charters, and one pupil commented that, ‘charters get us working together – we really enjoyed developing and designing them’ (S6 pupil)

Pupils expressed a view that all staff and almost all pupils used rights respecting language and behaviour. Positive behaviour was encouraged with a house points system linked to article 29 (develop talents). Positive achievements were recognised in assemblies and displays throughout the school, again linked to relevant articles of the convention. The school’s ‘Relationships Policy’ provided a context for dealing with any issues or concerns, and a restorative approach was used for resolving conflict or disagreements between pupils and staff and pupils – this was highly regarded by parents, pupils and staff. One parent explained how it had really helped her son to move on from an incident with a boy in his class. New members of staff wee able to articulate how noticeable the positive ethos was in the school, and that the pupils were polite and considerate.

All pupils throughout the school have the opportunity to talk about their learning, and are involved in evaluating their progress and setting targets. For example in nursery the children shared their views with staff and these were recorded in floor books.

All the children who spoke to the assessors felt safe in school, and knew what to do if they had a worry or concern. Pupils were familiar with the principles of GIRFEC and had linked the well-being indicators to articles from the convention. One P7 pupil noted that ‘there is not so much fighting since we became rights respecting’ and an S4 pupil said that ‘the difference is unreal’. Pupils felt they were treated fairly, and the school had noted a reduction in racist incidents since becoming a rights respecting school.

The Pupil Support Assistant who supervises in the playground had observed that there had been a significant improvement in behaviour, and that using the language of the convention helped to resolve conflict. The pupils had recently developed a ‘football charter’ and it was clear that this had had a noticeable impact on improving play time for all pupils. A P5 girl explained that ‘we can now fix things on our own – we don’t need an adult.’ A parent also supported this view, commenting that ‘it empowers children to take responsibility for their own behaviour’.

Pupils across the school are aware of the importance to uphold the rights of others, and could use the UNCRC when talking about global citizenship.

Standard D:
Children are empowered to become active citizens and learners
Standard D has been achieved

Staff, pupils and parents commented on the importance of pupil voice, and that pupils were empowered to make decisions about their own learning and the wider life of the school. Pupils’ views were gathered by a wide range of means from discussions to questionnaires, and these helped inform the school’s strategic plan. There were many opportunities for pupils to make informed choices about their learning - for example in the primary department pupils could decide which aspects of a topic they wanted to learn about, and the older pupils created learning profiles. There were also opportunities for pupils to give feedback on teaching and learning. There were a number of elected pupil groups which were highly regarded, and pupils were able to give several examples of changes that had been initiated by pupils – for example the Pupil Learning Council had introduced ‘bully boxes’ in all classrooms, Hoodies were being introduced as part of school uniform and water bottles were allowed in the classrooms. All pupils could make suggestions for the Pupil Learning Council by posting up suggestions on their board. All of the display boards for the various pupil groups were lined to the UNCRC – e.g. Eco group was linked to article 24 (clean environment)