STEP Academy Trust on multi-school RRSA membership

STEP Academy Trust is a community of 20 primary schools that, with the support of the London Mayor’s funding for RRSA, have signed up for a Multi Academy Trust membership to RRSA.

Mark Chapman, Head of Pupil Representation at Step Academy Trust and supports all STEP academies to work towards, and sustain, being Rights Respecting Schools. By March 2025 all 20 STEP academies had reached Bronze: Rights Committed or beyond.

“We decided to roll RRSA out across STEP Academy Trust because our mission is to improve the life chances of all children and because children have a right to know about their rights (Article 42). We noticed that commitment by STEP academies to RRSA contributed positively to pupil wellbeing, behaviour, and confidence. This was most noticeable in schools where rights education was well embedded.

“RRSA helps us to support several key outcomes for children in school. These include creating an inclusive school culture, pupil representation, development of essential life skills, promotion of mental health and wellbeing. Achievement of Bronze, Silver and Gold also help STEP academies to quantifiably evaluate their own effectiveness in pupil representation. By striving for these milestones, we commit to reflective practices that ensure our learning environments are equitable and inclusive for all. 

“A standout project in one of our academies is the creation of a Rights Booklet, initiated by the Rights Respecting Schools Minister from Heathfield Academy’s Children’s Parliament who proposed collaborating with authors Pip Wilson and Ian Long to illustrate children’s
rights using their popular blob characters. This resulted in a tangible resource that educates all STEP stakeholders about human rights in an engaging manner. Experiences such as these not only highlight the importance of children’s rights but also empower pupils to actively participate in their advocacy. 

Highlights of the RRSA journey so far

“Highlights so far have included pupils across STEP academies engaging in various leadership roles such as playground buddies, eco warriors, and pupil parliament ministers. They lead assemblies and create and organise events like Eco Den Day at Hawkes Farm Academy, World Exploration Day at High Cliff Academy, and a Gender Equality awareness campaign at Westbridge Academy, all reflecting issues important to them.

“At David Livingstone Academy, pupil representatives played a key role in introducing air purifiers into every STEP academy, identifying the link between classroom air quality and the right to the best possible health (Article 24). They conducted qualitative research, captured pupil voice, and created posters and an information video to raise awareness about the importance of air quality and Article 24.

“Notably, pupils frequently reference their rights in everyday conversations, demonstrating their understanding of how to claim rights in context (as well as passion for peer advocacy). For instance, an RRS Minister from Park Academy stated, “Every child has the right to equality no matter what state they’re in, so if they’re angry they still deserve to be treated with equality,” while an Inclusion Minister from Beddington Park Academy emphasised, “Every child has the right to take part, and you’re not different just because you have a hearing disability, or that you have Down syndrome, or you have Tourette syndrome, or you have ADHD, or autism.”

Supporting trust schools at different stages of RRSA

“Academies at different stages of their journey are supported in a number of ways. Through regular communication we update all schools on overall Trust progress and also highlight individual success stories. Zoom clinics are offered so coordinators can ask for advice and share their experiences and challenges. CPD support is tailored to the specific needs of each school based on their current stage within RRSA. We partner schools in a mentorship relationship, for example pairing a Gold school with a nearby Bronze. We keep a centralised repository of resources which all schools can benefit from. And as a Trust we collaborate on projects. Pupils from all STEP academies work together to raise awareness of the rights of every child.

“A challenge familiar to most in the education sector is that practitioners face a broad range of competing priorities on a daily basis. It has therefore been helpful to streamline communication to leaders; offer robust support, provide tried and tested resources, and celebrate achievements.

Benefiting from London Schools funding

“Funding for membership on an individual school basis to the RRSA had previously been a barrier to expanding rights education in some schools. We undertook a scoping exercise that revealed most headteachers would commit to strengthen rights education if
RRSA membership could be centrally funded. Encouraged by the Mayor of London’s commitment to fund RRSA in London schools, STEP applied for a MAT (Multi Academy Trust) RRSA membership in September 2024.”

Academy context: STEP Academy Trust is a community of 20 primary schools. 12 of these are located in south east London and 8 in East Sussex. All schools that join STEP rapidly improve and outcomes are sustained. STEP consistently outperforms the national average in end of Key Stage 2 results, and Ofsted inspections are positive. A total of 5,563 pupils (exc. Nursery) are on roll across all 20 academies. 36% of pupils are entitled to Free School Meals (12% higher than the national average); and 18% of children require SEND provision. SEND leadership is prioritised at all levels, ensuring that SEND is everyone’s responsibility