A CLACKS Early Learning Centre (ELC) has become the first council-run nursery to receive an award for embedding children's rights.

Sauchie ELC has been awarded Rights Respecting Schools – Silver Rights Aware status by UNICEF UK.

The award means the early learning and childcare centre has shown good progress towards embedding children's rights in policy, practice and ethos, promoting knowledge and understanding of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Children and teachers celebrated the achievement by unveiling its silver award banner with Clackmannanshire Council's chief education officer Colin Bruce.

Yvonne Lindsay, acting head, said she was immensely proud of the award and has already set her sights on “going for gold”.

Since embarking on the awards programme, children at Sauchie ELC have become more aware and confident in talking about their rights through using the language of needs and wants.

Children have also become global citizens this year as they explored how climate change can have an impact on children’s rights worldwide through UNICEF’s OutRight Campaign.

The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to recognising and promoting and children’s rights and encouraging adults, children, and young people to respect the rights of others.

The silver award means Sauchie ELC is beginning to see the positive impact its actions while young people are beginning to see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and advocates for fairness and children’s rights, both locally and globally.

For the gold award, the nursery will need to demonstrate that children and adults have a thorough understanding of child rights with young people playing an increasingly leading role in driving progress.