KTS Academy Achieves Gold: Rights Respecting Reaccreditation 

We are delighted to share that KTS Academy continues to meet the standard for UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting Schools Award at Gold: Rights Respecting, following our reaccreditation visit in May 2026. 

What This Means for Our School 

It was evident during the reaccreditation process that children’s rights continue to be embedded across the school and underpin every facet of school life.  

This achievement reflects our sustained commitment to ensuring that every child at KTS Academy understands their rights and is supported to feel valued, respected and empowered within a nurturing and inclusive environment. 

What the Assessor Found 

The UNICEF assessor highlighted several strengths that reflect our ongoing work: 

Our Pupils 

Pupils are articulate, confident and passionate about their rights, demonstrating a strong understanding of the UNCRC and how it relates to their lives. They spoke positively about how rights help them stay safe, healthy and included, and showed confidence in discussing how rights can be respected both in school and globally.  

Our Ethos 

The report recognised the school’s caring and nurturing ethos, where dignity, respect and equality are consistently modelled and valued. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their role as duty bearers, ensuring that children’s individual needs are understood and supported.  

Pupil Voice 

Pupils are actively listened to and involved in decision-making at all levels. The report highlighted how children feel empowered to influence real change, taking pride in the ways they contribute to improving school life for others.  

Rights in Action 

Our commitment to children’s rights continues to extend beyond the classroom. The report highlighted how pupils: 

• Contribute ideas that lead to meaningful changes within the school, including developments to play and learning experiences 

• Engage in campaigning, fundraising and advocacy, linking their actions to children’s rights 

• Develop an understanding of their role as active members of the community, locally and globally  

Pupils spoke with pride about making a difference, demonstrating that they see themselves as active participants in shaping their school and wider world. 

Our Journey 

We registered for RRSA in February 2015, achieved Silver in May 2016, and Gold in June 2019. We are proud to have sustained this highest standard through successive reaccreditations, most recently in 2022 and now again in 2026.  

The Rights Respecting Schools Award recognises schools that place the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of their ethos and curriculum. At KTS Academy, this continues to support pupils to develop confidence, wellbeing and a strong sense of justice, preparing them to be active and engaged citizens.