Apple Tree Nursery on the Isle of Bute is to be awarded Gold by UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme.

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. Gold is the highest accolade given by UNICEF UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life.

The Nursery has been working with UNICEF UK since March 2020. They received their Silver certificate in September 2022 Apple Tree Nursery will be awarded with the Gold certificate to mark their achievement with an event to be held in the Summer.

Head of Centre Lesley-Anne Roberts said ‘We are incredibly proud and honoured to receive the Gold Award from UNICEF UK, a recognition of the dedication and commitment our Nursery has shown in promoting children’s rights. This achievement reflects the hard work of our children, staff, parents and especially Stephanie Scott, our Rights Respecting Duty Bearer, whose leadership has been essential in ensuring that children’s rights are at the core of everything we do. The positive impact of the RRSA Co-ordinator (RRSA) is clear — it has enriched the learning experience for our children and created an atmosphere of respect, empathy, and equality. By putting children’s rights at the heart of our Nursery, we are fostering a community where every child feels heard, valued, and empowered to succeed. A huge thank you to our dedicated children, parents and staff for making this possible — together, we are making a meaningful difference!”

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.