A County Durham primary school is celebrating after receiving an award from Unicef.
Langley Park Primary School has achieved silver in the second stage of the Rights Respecting Schools Award.
The award is granted by Unicef UK to schools that show good progress towards embedding children’s rights in their policy, practice and ethos.
In order to progress, schools will teach about rights, model rights-respecting language and attitudes and encourage children to be ambassadors for the rights of others.
At Langley Park, children have been actively involved in implementing a number of projects and initiatives in school, from healthy eating policies to environmental concerns around car-based pollution near the school.
They also work together to improve their understanding of important issues in family group meetings, where pupils are given tasks and themes to work on. Meanwhile, Caroline Turner, who coordinates the initiatives in school, also sets regular activities for families to undertake during the summer to help bring everyone together.
Dan Walton, Headteacher of Langley Park Primary School, said: “Our children and families are at the heart of all that we do in school so we couldn’t be prouder than to receive this award.
“Even with all of the restrictions in school at present, our accreditation was able to go ahead thanks to pupils and staff showing what we have been doing virtually. It has been a fabulous experience for the children to be involved with every stage of the process and we are delighted to share our success with the community.”
Cllr Olwyn Gunn, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Langley Park Primary School. It is so important that we teach our children about their rights and the rights of others, to help them realise their full potential and fully engage with a range of issues as they grow up.
“I’d like to thank all the school staff for their work, particularly for their commitment through these challenging times. They are having such a positive impact on children and young people and showing them ways in which to make a positive difference to society in the future.”
