Meath, a Speech and Language UK school in Ottershaw, Surrey receives prestigious UNICEF UK Award

Meath school in Ottershaw, Surrey is to be awarded a Silver Rights Respecting School Award by UNICEF UK.  

Meath in Ottershaw, Surrey, provides residential services and an extended school-day programme for 75 children aged four to 11 years, who have complex speech and language challenges. 

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. Silver is given to schools that make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into its ethos and curriculum. There are over 1,300 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales that have achieved Silver and over 600 schools that have been awarded Gold, the next step up and highest accolade granted by UNICEF UK. 

Majella Delaney, Principal of Meath said: 

“We are delighted to have received a Silver Award from UNICEF. Right now,1.9 million children in the UK are struggling with talking and understanding words and we are fully committed to ensuring that our young people enjoy their time at Meath and that their rights as individuals are respected and protected. To have been awarded a Silver Award from UNICEF reflects the hard work and dedication of the whole school community.” 

The Award 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. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.  

UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Programme Director, Martin Russell, said:  

 “Children at Meath School have shown a really good grasp of the Convention and a strong understanding of the wider world. It is great to see how much the Convention underpins the school’s work and values, in the classroom and at playtime. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm that all the children and staff showed about learning about rights. We are very pleased to be awarding Silver; Rights Aware to Meath School and look forward to continuing our Rights Respecting work with them.” 

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 England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Schools have reported a positive impact on pupil behaviour, relationships and well-being by enhancing pupils’ self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards. 

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Notes to editors:  

For media enquiries about Meath or Speech and Language UK, contact Simon Walsh, Speech and Language UK Press Manager via media@speechandlanguage.org.uk  

For further details about UNICEF UK and RRSA, please contact: 

Samantha Bradey, UNICEF UK Resources, Communications and Stewardship Manager + 44 (0)20 7375 6119 SamanthaB@unicef.org.uk 

Notes for editors: 

*About the UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools Award 

UNICEF works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured, and they are able to thrive. Our Rights Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.  

Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as our guide, we are working with more UK schools than almost any other organisation. 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and nearly 5,000 schools up and down the country are working towards the Award. For more information, visit unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/ 

About Meath School 

Meath School helps children aged 4 – 11 with complex speech and language challenges build the foundations they need to thrive. We have been rated Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ since 2007. The school is part of Speech and Language UK, whose mission is to give children and young people the skills they need so they are not left behind, waiting to be understood.  

About UNICEF 

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.  

UNICEF UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children. As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. UNICEF UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK. For more information, please visit unicef.org.uk.