At Strangford Integrated College we are delighted to have achieved our Gold UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award.

A Rights Respecting School is a place where students feel safe and confident in the fact that their rights are being advocated for. We are a school that has fully embedded children’s rights into our school ethos. We believe that students and staff working together and respecting each other’s rights will result in the following being improved:

· Learning

· Self-esteem

· Well-being

· Confidence

· Appreciation of community

By achieving our Gold Award, we are acknowledging that across the world, some people do not have access to their rights. We are using our voices to help the wider community and beyond; working towards the Global Goals as seen below.

Article 27: The Right to a Good Standard of Living

Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that every child has the right to a standard of living that supports their physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development.

This means that all children should have access to the basics they need to grow, learn, and thrive. These basics include adequate food, clothing, housing, healthcare, and a safe environment.

What Article 27 Means for Children

Article 27 recognises that children can only reach their full potential when their basic needs are met. It places responsibility on parents and carers to provide the best life possible for their children, while also recognising that governments and services must support families when help is needed.

A good standard of living supports:

• Physical health and development
• Emotional well‑being and confidence
• Learning and concentration in school
• Positive relationships and social skills

What This Means in Our School

At our school, Article 27 guides our commitment to ensuring that every child feels safe, supported, and ready to learn. We work to create an inclusive environment where children’s well‑being is valued alongside their education.

This includes:

• Providing a safe, welcoming, and respectful school environment
• Supporting pupils’ health, nutrition, and emotional well‑being
• Recognising and responding to individual needs
• Working with families and external services to offer support where needed

We understand that children learn best when they feel secure and cared for, and we aim to remove barriers so that all pupils can succeed.

How We Teach About Article 27

Children learn about Article 27 through:

• Curriculum lessons linked to rights and responsibilities
• Well‑being and personal development activities
• Discussions about fairness, kindness, and empathy
• Support for understanding how to care for themselves and others

By learning about their rights, children also learn about responsibility, respect, and how to support one another.

Our Commitment

By embedding Article 27 into school life, we help pupils understand that:

• Everyone deserves dignity and care
• Seeking help is a strength, not a weakness
• A supportive community helps everyone thrive

We are proud to promote children’s rights and work together with families to ensure every child has the opportunity to live, learn, and grow in a safe and supportive environment.

We were delighted to be awarded our Gold Rights Respecting School status in March 2022. Gold Rights Respecting is the highest level of the Award and is granted to schools that have fully embedded the principles of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child into their ethos and curriculum. We are one of only three post primary schools in Northern Ireland that currently hold the Gold accreditation and the only integrated post primary to currently have the Gold Award.

Our assessors made the following observations about the College and our wonderful students at the reaccreditation visit in April 2025:

• Students have a very good understanding of the rights and understand how they are connected to school life, to their integrated ethos and their local and global community.

• A child rights approach is embedded across the college putting it at the core of the school ethos.

• Relationships are based on mutual respect and trust, where learning about trust is clearly affecting relationships in a positive way.

• There is a strong culture of inclusivity and respect which is understood and articulated by the school community.

• Pupil voice is highly valued with a large range of pupil voice groups giving opportunities for young people to put their suggestions forward and these to be acted on.

• Pupils are actively engaged in raising awareness of children’s rights in their community and supporting other children globally to access their rights.