Reading Time: 4 minutesThe number of multilingual classrooms in Scotland is rising. Today, over 58,000 children learn in a language other than English on a daily basis. Scotland’s cultural diversity is reflected in this, but it also presents difficulties, such as how to ensure that every child is respected, seen, and heard in the classroom.

To explore this question, my postgraduate study looked at how Scottish schools are implementing rights-based inclusive education to support students who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL). The study focuses on three main aspects: classroom teaching, sense of belonging, and family engagement.

Reading Time: 4 minutesIn line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is anyone under 18. This study further distinguishes between “children” (12 and under) and “young people” (13–18) to better capture the different social positions, challenges and public perceptions each group faces in public spaces. The research explored how adults in Edinburgh understand the presence and rights of children (12 and under) and young people (13–18) in public spaces such as streets, parks and shopping areas.

Reading Time: 4 minutesScotland has a strong legal and policy commitment to inclusive early childhood education. In principle, all young children should be able to attend their local nursery and take part fully in learning, play and daily activities. This includes those with additional support needs (ASN). This commitment is rooted in Scotland’s Additional Support for Learning (ASL) legislation and strengthened by the 2024 incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Reading Time: 3 minutesIn 2024, Scotland incorporated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into law and advanced the New Scots refugee integration policy, showing its commitment to protecting children’s rights and promoting the inclusion of young refugees. However, literature suggests that despite supportive and inclusive policies, the realisation of the rights of young people, including young refugees, remains limited in practice

Reading Time: 3 minutesThis dissertation examines how the rights of children from Armed Forces families in Scotland are protected, fulfilled, and promoted during periods of parental separation caused by military service. Guided by the UNCRC (1989), Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and the sociology of childhood, it adopts a child rights-based qualitative approach to explore how family, school, and community collectively shape children’s emotional well-being and rights realisation within the structural and cyclical nature of armed forces life.

Reading Time: 4 minutesThis project explored how young people in Scotland use and experience what we call “third spaces” — these are public, non-commercial places outside home and school, such as parks, libraries, and youth centres. These spaces often act as a bridge between private and formal life, giving teenagers a chance to relax, meet friends, and feel part of their communities.

Reading Time: 2 minutesThanks to funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Observatory of Children’s Human Rights Scotland is developing a new Research Network on children’s human rights.

Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Observatory of Children’s Human Rights Scotland is pleased to launch a ground-breaking new project to develop a Theory of Change for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Scotland.