RRS

Ty Gwyn is a Rights Respecting School

Ty Gwyn Education Centre aims to be a school where children’s rights are at the heart of our ethos and culture, to improve well-being and to develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential.  We have now achieved RRS Silver Award in recognition of our progress in this area, listening to and working with the voices of children and young people.

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation working for children and young people and their rights. In 1989, governments across the world agreed that all children have the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential.

In 2011, Wales became the first UK country to bring the UNCRC Rights of the Child into domestic law.

All pupils will learn about their rights by putting them into practice every day. A Rights Respecting School models rights and respect in all its relationships.

Our new Rights Ambassador TJ and our continuing Ambassador Alfie are taking us forward this year with some great ideas. 

We are also starting an LGBTQ Safe Space monthly group using the materials from justlikeus.org

Everyone is welcome to be part of this, children’s rights are for everyone 🏳️‍🌈

Empathy Lab and Water Aid

Today we used our empathy glasses to

appreciate a poem about water, the liquid of life.
Sadly, there are many children denied the right to clean and safe water each day, thousands of children under five die each day, including tiny babies because they have to drink dirty water. See www.wateraid.org for the facts and figures. 

What can we do to help? We don’t have the money or resources to solve this but we can use our own water carefully and thoughtfully:

• turn the tap off when cleaning your teeth
• shallow baths or take 4 minute only showers
• reuse paddling pool water for the garden
• collect rain water for the garden and pets 
• only fill the kettle as much as needed and not to the top 
• don’t run the tap when washing up 
• fill the dishwasher fully when you run it
• And whatever else you can think of! 💧 

The right to good food and water article #24

UNICEF global goal #6

Every day in December, Paddington will highlight a right in each of the pockets of our Advent Calendar. 

We will look at these rights in Assembly, how the right applies to us and to children in other countries. 

1st December Article #14 the right to follow your own religion. We looked at the Christian meaning of Advent and how it is celebrated here in Wales and across the world. In China, Christians give apples wrapped in coloured paper but risk harsh persecution by following Christ and have to remain secretive and hide their faith. 

5th December  Article #38 children should be protected from war. The Second World War has been the topic for this half term in KS3 and we learned some of the soldiers were only 15 as they lied about their age. Today children in many countries, including our neighbours in Ukraine, are caught up in war, fighting, fleeing and trying to survive. We remember our neighbours and think of them in their dark times. 

Wales without Violence

All KS4 learners have completed the Wales without Violence survey for young people on line. The mission to end youth violence has to include their voices so this consultation is important. 
The consultation is a collaboration between the Wales Violence Prevention Unit and Peer Action Collective Cymru.

They will use the feedback from the survey to inform professionals, such as police officers, health workers, teachers and youth workers and people who work in councils and government, on how we can work together to end youth violence.

The statistics on youth violence are startling and show we need to take action and include everyone. It’s also an unequal problem and factors like ethnicity, location, poverty, additional needs are major factors. 
Come back to this page to see what’s next!

Check waleswithoutviolence.com 

The ending of physical punishment in Wales

From March 2022, using any form of physical punishment towards a child (under the age of 18) will be against the law. 
You have the right to live without humiliation and fear of assault. Article 37 of the UNCRC which was adopted in Wales in 2011.

RRS activities Spring 2022

Another busy term for us!

Clark’s ShoeShare is this term, we had to postpone from the autumn term with so many staff unwell and off (the dreaded virus)! Here's Kieran dropping off our donated shoes to Clark's Merthyr! Thanks to all who donated, we are global citizens!

We are undertaking the termly rights mission and there are some brilliant road maps being designed to keep our progress on track. See the attached photos 😊 

We will be joining in Safer Internet Day on 9th February and ensuring everyone is aware of the importance of article 16 and our right to privacy.

We will also be supporting Holocaust Memorial Day and St David’s Day recognising articles 27 and 30, our rights to be free from harm, protected from conflict and enjoy our own culture and language, even if it’s different to the majority of the country in which we live. 

Check the gallery page for pics! 

From our Chinese New Year Assembly

RRS Activities Autumn 2021

We are working towards our silver award and will be developing our knowledge of rights and how we can ensure ours are upheld and how to support children everywhere to access theirs.

We will be:

• Creating class charters of the rights we believe are important to our Form Families 
• Working to collect shoes for the Shoeshare partnership between Clark’s Shoes and UNICEF
• Participating in Anti-Bullying week to ensure the right to be safe and free from  harm (article 19) is upheld across Ty Gwyn. The theme is kindness and we will be holding Kindness Week. 
• Participating in the autumn term Right’s Mission and well-being survey. 
  

School Council

Meeting 14th October

A request was made by 4 Y10 learners to have access to their phones at key points during the day. They expressed their views and had them taken seriously under Article #12.

SLT will consider the request and respond to the learners. 
Such a great example of using and understanding your rights in the “right” way!

Da Iawn!