A BARRHEAD school has been handed a prestigious award for its efforts to promote respect for others.

There were celebrations at Hillview Primary, in the town’s Springhill Road, after it was presented with the Silver Rights Respecting School Award by UNICEF UK – the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights.

The 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.

It recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice.

Award organisers say a ‘rights respecting school’ is “a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.”

The silver prize is given to schools that make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into their ethos and curriculum.

Headteacher Melanie McGurren said everyone at the school is delighted to have secured the award.

She told the Barrhead News: “Rights underpin everything we do in our school.

“Our school community have worked hard to develop a rights ethos and ensure all children feel safe, valued and included.”

The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK, including those in an early years setting.

Currently, it works with nearly 5,000 primary schools, secondary schools, schools for children and young people with special educational needs and pupil referral units across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

There are more than 1,300 schools across the four nations that have achieved the silver award and more than 600 schools that have been awarded the gold standard – the next step up and highest accolade granted by UNICEF.

Mrs McGurren added: “We are delighted to receive the silver award and we are now looking forward to the next steps in our journey for the gold award.”

To find out more about the initiative, go online at www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools.