PRIMARY school youngsters are celebrating after being presented with an international award.

Pentland School in Coatbridge has been awarded a Level 2 Rights Respecting School Award by Unicef UK.

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights.

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

The Level 2 Award is the highest accolade given by Unicef UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life.

There are more than 200 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that have received the Level 2 Award.

Kathleen Cassidy, Headteacher of Pentland school, said: “We are extremely proud to have been awarded the Level 2 Rights Respecting Schools Award.

“Levels one and two awards were led entirely by Deputy Head teacher Mrs Carla Grieve who worked alongside last year’s P7 pupils. They all worked tirelessly to achieve these awards.

“Everything we do here is designed to ensure that each child settles quickly into the life of the school and goes on to have a happy, fulfilling and successful time with us and we believe this award reflects our ambition.”

The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice.

A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.

Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools Programme Director, Frances Bestley, said: "Pentland School very much impressed us with how children and adults have fully embraced the rights-respecting ethos.

"It is clear that the culture of the school is strongly rooted in the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

"Pupils have many opportunities to be involved in school life and there is a deep sense of inclusion based on children’s rights."