Newtongrange Primary School ends academic year on a high with prestigious UNICEF UK Gold Award

Newtongrange Primary School Gold Award

Pupils at one Midlothian school have even more reason to celebrate the end of a successful academic year, having just been awarded the UNICEF UK Gold Award. Newtongrange Primary School has been officially recognised for its achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of its planning, policies and practice. Standing out as a school where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted, Newtongrange Primary School is now a shining example of a thriving Gold Rights Respecting School. 

To achieve this prestigious award, teachers and pupils worked collaboratively to compile a clear and robust action plan which covered a wide range of areas including teaching and learning about rights, ethos and relationships, participation, empowerment and action. The school was then subject to an official visit from UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools assessors, during which pupils, staff, partners, parents and carers were invited to provide evidence of their progress and answer questions.

Feedback from the assessors was overwhelmingly positive; “Well done to the team at Newtongrange Primary School who have received their UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools Gold Award. Strengths include articulate children who know and understand their rights, explicit teaching of rights in the curriculum, highly visible rights, a strong culture of inclusivity and respect, and highly-valued pupil voice.” 

The Gold award marks the pinnacle of six years of hard work, with the school awarded Bronze back in 2019 and Silver in 2024. Commenting on reaching the Gold status, Head Teacher Mrs Cameron said; “We are delighted to be recognised for the hard work and commitment for being a Gold Rights Respecting School. We are very proud of the strengths highlighted by the team. We are also very proud of our learners who shared our work so confidently and articulately.” 

And the UNICEF award is not the only accolade the school has been celebrating recently, having been honoured with the SEIC Connector School Award, Core Reading Schools Award, Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, Digital Schools Award and Sports Scotland Award. Determined not to rest on their laurels, the school will be working towards achieving the Play Pedagogy Award when classes return for the new term in August.

The new term will also see the school gear up for a series of special centenary celebrations featuring teachers and pupils from past and present. Activities commemorating 100 years of learning will culminate in a big birthday celebration on Wednesday 12th November, marking a golden year for this award-winning school.

Newtongrange Primary School was founded in 1925 and today it provides a safe and caring learning environment for 365 pupils, each of whom is encouraged to “aspire, believe, achieve”. In every aspect of their learning, pupils are inspired to be kind, respectful, fair, responsible, confident and hardworking, and the school prides itself on valuing every learner as an individual and celebrating diversity.

For more information head to www.newtongrange.midlothian.education

Newtongrange Primary School,

Sixth Street, Newtongrange,

Midlothian, EH22 4LB.