STUDENTS’ RIGHTS WORK WINS UNICEF ACCOLADE FOR THE BEECHES SCHOOL

The Beeches School in Dorset, praised for bringing out the best in young people with special educational needs, is celebrating students’ success in achieving Unicef UK’s Rights Respecting Schools’ Bronze Award for its commitment to child rights.

Recognition from Unicef, set up by the United Nations to champion child rights, comes just a year after Ofsted inspectors praised The Beeches School’s bespoke approach to education. The school is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, with particular mention given to the focus on developing confidence and self-esteem as well as high-quality teaching that motivates students to make excellent progress.

Headteacher Lydia Roberts said “The ethos of The Beeches School has child rights at its heart. It was set up in 2019 to enable those young people to flourish whose needs weren’t being met by mainstream schools.”

“Ofsted inspectors commented that we quickly brought to life our vision for high-quality education and care by carefully considering the needs of individual students.”

The Beeches School, near Cranbourne in Dorset, has 25 places for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 with autistic spectrum conditions including Asperger’s syndrome, social and emotional difficulties, anxiety disorders and mental health needs.

Connor Longshore, age 14 explained why he was proud to be part of the award’s steering group “As a student here you should be allowed to have something to say if you want to.”

Lydia Roberts added: “Students like Connor want to know about the world around them. They have previously presented at an Amnesty International Conference. Ensuring they can speak out is integral to their human rights.”

The Bronze award means The Beeches School understands the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes the right to education, and it is now on the way to achieving Silver.