Rights Respecting School Award

[Feebeela]

I have been asked to lead the RRSA project at school which looks like a long, involved project. I have been reading on the educational fad thread on aibu that it's just that, a fad. Now I'm wondering what I'm walking into. Is it worthwhile, a load of old bobbins or somewhere in between? I'm interested in hearing your experience's
Thanks!

I haven't seen it in action but I think it's a great idea. Raising children to be responsible and compassionate citizens is a pretty worthy cause! I was pretty disheartened by that thread actually, a lot of the things that people were dismissing as nonsense genuinely do a lot of good in schools. Go for it.

Human rights are not a fad.

Human rights are not a fad. But this scheme almost certainly is.

However, you might do some good along the way.

I'm leading my school on it (wasn't my choice to start!) And we're aiming to pass the level 2 assessment by the end of this year. A lot of it is good and has had a positive impact on the children in some ways but we've not seen an improvement in behaviour as claimed but that could be because out behaviour is very good in general anyway.
It's good but very expensive!

My child’s school is a Rights Respecting School. Their ethos is built around it. It’s an amazing school from a parents perspective and being a RRS is a huge selling point for them.

It’s been around for a while and is run by unicef not some chancers so hopefully not a fad.

It's a bit like Investors in People shouldn't be a fad? But in practice it was. Who even mentions it now?

I work in one of the first secondary (comprehensive) schools to be awarded the silver level. It was a huge amount of faff - evidence gathering, charter-writing, assemblies, meetings, special lessons, more charter writing, more assemblies, more meetings.

The overall effect it's had on the school has been.....well, less than negligible. From the school's perspective, the initiative started in about 2006/7. The school achieved silver award in about 2011 or 2012 (IIRC). The member of staff leading it left the school in about 2014 and it's all fallen by the wayside.

I'm sure it was great for the CVs of a few staff and a few pupils. It cost a hell of a lot of money, and is more-or-less forgotten now. Current staff turnover means that if you asked the vast majority of staff and pupils what RRS means, they would look at you with a blank face. It would mean about as much as APP, the Key Stage 3 Strategy or Beacon school status.

Just checked the school's website, and the RRS badge is still on there. What a farce...

Thank you all for replying. While I agree that Human Rights are never a fad, I fear that SweetSummerchild may have confirmed my suspicions about the amount of work involved in achieving the award which, if not continued for one reason or another (staff turnover, lack of SLT champion, lack of funds...) will become a dim and distant memory. Oh well, like you say, will look fab on my CV.....