A PRIMARY school in West End has been recognised by Unicef, the global charity working to help disadvantaged children.

Holy Trinity is now a Rights Aware School, one of only a handful in Surrey to be given the honour.

Sandra Bartlett, the rights respecting schools lead at Holy Trinity, said: “We went for the Silver Award because we felt that fitted in well with what we do here.

“The award recognises that children’s rights are at the heart of our ethos and culture at Holy Trinity, and that we strive to improve wellbeing and work to develop every child’s talents.

“As a Rights Aware School we have also been recognised as a place which models rights and respect in all its relationships. It’s a great achievement.

Unicef defines children’s rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a series of articles agreed by governments across the world. These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfill their potential.

“As a church school, our views link directly with Unicef’s,” Sandra went on. “But we live in a global community now and we want our pupils to think more widely."

The road to the award was demanding. Parents, staff and the local community became familiar with the Rights of the Child convention; pupils took part in a home-learning poster project to help raise the profile of children’s rights; Unicef Rights Respecting Ambassadors  – from Reception to Year 6 – were created to help all pupils and staff become even more “Rights Aware”.

For more information on Unicef and its work, please visit https://www.unicef.org/

For the full story get the 18 July edition of the News & Mail