Grantham Additional Needs Fellowship have been awarded a Silver Rights Respecting School Award by Unicef UK.

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 1200 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that have achieved Silver and over 500 schools that have been awarded Gold, the next step up and highest accolade granted by Unicef. Julia Kay, Teacher and Unicef lead for GANF said: "We are delighted to announce that GANF has met the standard for Unicef UK's Rights Respecting Schools Award at Silver: Rights Aware. "We had previously been awarded bronze status in recognition of the awareness raised within our curriculum and ethos as being a 'Rights Respecting School'. "A Rights Respecting School is a community where children's rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. The next step is to continue the hard work as we look to achieve Gold Rights Respecting status." 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 RRSA Senior Professional Adviser, Martin Russell, said: "It was a pleasure to meet the students and staff of Sandon School and Ambergate Sports College during our 'virtual' visit. "They clearly know and understand their rights as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and it was great to see and hear about the respect they show for each other and for their wider community." The Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK, including those in an early years setting. This year the programme has received additional support from The People's Postcode Lottery. This vital funding is helping Unicef UK continue its work with over 4500 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 pupil's self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards.