UNICEF Gold Award for Douglas Academy | East Dunbartonshire Council

Date:

Friday, 15 June, 2018

Douglas Academy in Milngavie has become the first East Dunbartonshire secondary school to be awarded the Unicef (UK) Gold: Rights Respecting School Award.

Unicef assessors visited the school in March this year and announced in April that Douglas Academy had successfully achieved Gold RRSA status. Unicef congratulated pupils, staff and parents on this achievement, which is being celebrated in school this week with a Gold award reception for EDC councillors, staff and pupils.

During the evaluation, Unicef representatives carried out a classroom visit and a walkaround as well as holding focus groups with many pupils. They felt overwhelmingly that Rights Respecting practice was evident throughout the school and that everyone’s efforts merited the Gold Award.

In their report, assessors highlighted the following particular strengths of the school:

Links are made clearly between children’s rights and whole school improvement.
Pupil voice is respected and encouraged, with involvement woven through all aspects of school life.

Head Teacher Barry Smedley was delighted to receive the award and said, “The whole school community has worked hard to bring an awareness of rights into everything we do. Our school charter focuses on relationships and how we are with each other. Almost all our subjects include teaching on rights. It has become embedded in everything we do.”

Head Girl Hannah Duthie explained, “Knowing our rights, understanding the role of adults in protecting our rights and focusing on respecting the rights of others has contributed to a renewed atmosphere of understanding in the school. Pupils feel respected, valued and listened to.

Head Boy Arun Smith added “Douglas Academy is an open and accepting school, we are appreciative of diversity and all pupils are encouraged to have their voices heard via the student council and the student parliament. It’s fantastic to be a part of that and we are all very happy to receive this Gold award to recognise what has been achieved so far.”

Convener of Education, Councillor Jim Goodall, went along to visit the school to congratulate everyone involved. He said, “Visitors to Douglas Academy very quickly realise that this school is a warm and welcoming environment in which pupils develop and thrive as individuals. I would like to congratulate Mr Smedley, all the teachers and the pupils themselves for achieving such a prestigious accolade and I look forward to seeing the school build on this award in the coming years.”

Frances Bestley, Programme Director of Unicef UK’s Rights Respecting Schools Award.

“We are delighted to award Douglas Academy the first secondary school in East Dunbartonshire, a Gold Rights Respecting Schools Award. The young people at Douglas are strongly committed to children’s rights. They are listened to, participate fully in school life and have a strong understanding of the wider world. Relationships throughout the school are positive and there are effective systems in place to make sure all young people feel included and respected. It is clear that the school’s rights respecting work has contributed towards whole school improvement and that rights are woven through all aspects of school life.”

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Gold is the highest accolade given by Unicef UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life.