Forming the steering group
The steering group is made up of adults and children from across the school community. The steering group can be a completely new working group, specially formed to work on RRSA, or a working group or sub-committee of an existing school council, with additional adults and children and young people from within the school community. It could also be developed from another school action group.
It should include a high proportion of children and young people who represent different year groups and reflect the diversity within the school, at least one member of the Senior Management Team and other teachers (with key roles in school, or with a level of knowledge, influence and enthusiasm in this area).
You might want to consider including support staff like office or lunchtime staff, a governor or member of the parent council, a parent, a member of the local community who is involved in the school (such as police, health workers, local faith leaders) and representatives from other school groups.
Ideas to start the work of the steering group
These are some suggested ideas that schools have told us are helpful to get the RRSA work off to a good start.
Audit, action planning and evaluation
- Find out how rights respecting your school already is by asking pupils a number of questions, you can use the pupil questionnaires to help you.
- Decide how you will use the pupil questionnaires. Some schools survey all the children, some identify certain classes and some use a small focus group with children from different classes.
- Discuss the results and use them to add to your Bronze Audit and Action Plan.
- Identify from the Audit and Action Plan what the priority areas are.
- Write and regularly update the audit and action plan and identify any actions needed.
- Agree and decide how the steering group can monitor and evaluate actions.
- Many schools find it very useful to repeat the questionnaires annually or as needed to see what difference has occurred.
- Be involved in the self-evaluation leading up to assessment.
Training and awareness raising
- Produce guidance and information for teachers, children and young people, parents and others to help spread knowledge and awareness of rights. In some schools children have made videos, written songs and devised games to make this fun.
- Coordinate regular training sessions to develop understanding of the RRSA for teachers and students. You might want to consider letting young people lead the training session.
- Discuss with curriculum coordinators and subject leaders how they can incorporate CRC into their lessons.
- Hold sessions for parents or governors to explain the CRC and the RRSA
- Checking that RRSA is visible in assemblies, displays and lessons. Some schools find that learning walks are helpful to do this.
Kuunda kundi la kuongoza Kikundi cha kuongoza ni alifanya juu ya watu wazima na watoto kutoka katika jamii ya shule. Kundi la kuongoza linaweza kuwa kundi jipya kabisa la kazi, lililoundwa maalum kufanya kazi kwenye RRSA, au kundi la kazi au kamati ndogo ya baraza la shule iliyopo, na watu wazima wa ziada na watoto na vijana kutoka ndani ya jamii ya shule. Inaweza pia kuendelezwa kutoka kwa kikundi kingine cha hatua ya shule. Inapaswa kujumuisha uwiano mkubwa wa watoto na vijana ambao wanawakilisha vikundi tofauti vya miaka na kutafakari utofauti ndani ya shule, angalau mwanachama mmoja wa Timu ya Usimamizi wa Juu na walimu wengine (wenye majukumu muhimu katika shule, au na kiwango cha maarifa, ushawishi na shauku katika eneo hili). Unaweza kufikiria kujumuisha wafanyakazi wa msaada kama vile wafanyakazi wa ofisi au wa wakati wa chakula cha mchana, gavana au mwanachama wa baraza la wazazi, mzazi, mwanachama wa jamii ya ndani ambaye anashiriki katika shule (kama polisi, wafanyakazi wa afya, viongozi wa dini ya ndani) na wawakilishi kutoka vikundi vingine vya shule. Mawazo ya kuanzisha kikundi cha kuongoza: Hizi ni baadhi ya mawazo yaliyopendekezwa ambayo shule zimetuambia ni muhimu ili kupata kazi ya RRSA kuanza vizuri. Uhakiki, mipango ya hatua na tathmini - Tafuta jinsi haki za shule yako tayari zinaheshimu kwa kuwauliza wanafunzi maswali kadhaa, unaweza kutumia maswali ya wanafunzi kukusaidia. - Kuamua jinsi utakavyotumia maswali ya wanafunzi. Baadhi ya shule zinafanya uchunguzi kwa watoto wote, zingine huamua madarasa fulani na zingine hutumia kikundi kidogo cha kuzingatia na watoto kutoka madarasa tofauti. - Kuzungumzia matokeo na kutumia yao kuongeza kwa Bronze Audit yako na Mpango wa Hatua. - Kutambua kutoka Audit na Mpango wa Hatua nini maeneo ya kipaumbele ni. - Andika na mara kwa mara kusasisha ukaguzi na mpango wa hatua na kutambua hatua yoyote inahitajika. - Kukubaliana na kuamua jinsi kundi la kuongoza linavyoweza kufuatilia na kutathmini vitendo. - Shule nyingi hupata ni muhimu sana kurudia maswali kila mwaka au kama inahitajika kuona nini tofauti imetokea. - Kujihusisha katika tathmini ya kibinafsi inayoongoza kwa tathmini. Mafunzo na uelewa - Kuandaa mwongozo na habari kwa walimu, watoto na vijana, wazazi na wengine kusaidia kueneza maarifa na ufahamu wa haki. Katika shule fulani watoto wamefanya video, wameandika nyimbo, na kubuni michezo ili kufanya jambo hilo liwe lenye kufurahisha. - Kuunganisha vikao vya mafunzo ya kawaida ili kukuza uelewa wa RRSA kwa walimu na wanafunzi. Unaweza kufikiria kuwaacha vijana waongoze kikao cha mazoezi. - Kuzungumzia na mratibu wa mtaala na viongozi wa somo jinsi wanaweza kuingiza CRC katika masomo yao. - Kufanya vikao kwa wazazi au magavana kuelezea CRC na RRSA - Kuangalia kwamba RRSA inaonekana katika makusanyiko, maonyesho na masomo. Shule fulani huona kwamba matembezi ya kujifunza ni yenye kusaidia kufanya hivyo.