Cross-Cutting Themes: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Cross-Cutting Themes: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
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Human rights education and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Curriculum for Wales 2022
Human rights education and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Curriculum for Wales 2022
Human rights are the freedoms and protections to which all people are entitled. The learners in our schools have specific human rights enshrined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The convention is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. The UN General Assembly adopted it in 1989 after 60 years of advocacy and it came into UK law in 1992.
In Wales the Convention has been growing in strength in recent years and from 2014 it became a necessity for every Minister to pay it due regard in all decision making. The principles of the UNCRC informed the development of the four purposes and as a key enabler of a curriculum driven by these purposes, support learners to know their rights and respect those of others.
Human rights education in Curriculum for Wales encompasses:
learning about human rights – understanding human rights, and the sources of those rights including the UNCRC
learning through human rights – the development of values, attitudes and behaviours that reflect human rights values
learning for human rights – the motivation of social action and empowerment of active citizenship to advance respect for the rights of all.
"Human rights begin in small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends…
"Human rights begin in small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends…
Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.
Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.
Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere."
Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere."
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1958)
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1958)
Key Principles
In designing, adopting and implementing their curriculum, schools and settings should seek to incorporate opportunities for learners to learn about, through and for human rights.
All staff in the school or setting should have a good understanding of the language of rights.
All members of the school community should acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to understand human rights and the sources of those rights. This will support the development of values, attitudes and behaviours that reflect human rights values and inspire the motivation of social action and empowerment of active citizenship to advance respect for the rights of all.
Creating these opportunities collaboratively and including learners in this will give everyone ownership of their experiences. This includes them knowing that they and others have rights and that these rights will support them to embody the four purposes for themselves and others.
This cross-cutting theme in Curriculum for Wales engages children in exploring concepts which matter to them and affect them. It allows them to consider the world they live in through different lenses and provides them with relevant and equitable experiences on which to base their learning close to home and farther afield. Designing your curriculum in your way, around your needs in response to an ever-changing world allows you to think about what learners need to learn about in their generation.
Creating an ethos that nurtures the language of rights has a positive impact on equitable, purposeful and meaningful outcomes for all children.
Key considerations:
What contribution does the UNCRC make to the ethos of our school or setting?
How secure is our knowledge of human rights education and how committed are we to the requirement to pay due regard?
How do we ensure that ‘pupil voice’ is a reality and empowers the learner to be involved in decision making and planning? What impact does this have on policy and practice?
To what extent have we thought about the place of Human rights education in designing a co-constructed curriculum including assessment, learning and teaching approaches?
In what ways does the UNCRC link to authentic curriculum experiences that build towards the four purposes and provide rich contexts for learning through the statements of what matters leading to learners becoming global active citizens?
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