What is a School of Sanctuary?
A School of Sanctuary is a school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for those seeking sanctuary. This could be people whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a space of safety. A School of Sanctuary is a school that helps its pupils, staff and wider community understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and to extend a welcome to everyone as equal, valued members of the school community. It is a school that is proud to be a place of safety and inclusion for all.
We are committed to ensuring that our pupils learn and understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the difficulties asylum seekers and refugees face. Our curriculum ensures that there are opportunities to learn, understand and take actions around the themes of human rights as well as diversity, inclusion, refugee and migration.
The City of Sanctuary’s organisational pledge is:
We support the ‘City of Sanctuary’ vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We endorse the City of Sanctuary Charter, and agree to act in accordance with City of Sanctuary values and apply the network principles within our work (as far as our specific context enables us to).
We recognise the contribution of people seeking sanctuary. Sanctuary seekers are welcomed, included and supported within our context. We expect our branches or local groups (if any) to support their local City of Sanctuary group if one exists, and will facilitate contact between them and their local City of Sanctuary group.
Who is involved in the School of Sanctuary?
Working towards becoming a School of Sanctuary involves the whole school:
Governors are fully supportive of our commitment as a school
community to work towards School of Sanctuary status.
Staff are involved in the delivery of an excellent curriculum which supports this ethos.
Pupil leadership groups are actively working on initiatives to enable us to be awarded School of Sanctuary status.
Parents are informed of the work surrounding the School of Sanctuary accreditation via our website and through our regular Newsletters.
Staff
All staff have had presentations and updates on sanctuary and asylum issues. This has included sharing knowledge of the current world situation of refugees – where people flee from, why they leave and the problems they face.
Resources for all year groups have been shared. Some are general resources from charities including the Red Cross, BBC film clips etc which provided the basis for lessons and gave staff more detailed knowledge – facts and figures, case studies and testimonies. Staff actively became involved by leading both a ‘Refugee Week’ and ‘A Day of Welcome’ in their classes and this continues each year.
Pupils
Our pupils experience a diverse curriculum which educates them on the issues those seeking sanctuary face – including why they are fleeing and the additional challenges facing them afterwards. Our class libraries are added to on a regular basis and include books from a range of cultures, those which support pupils through difficult times and bilingual books.
Our pupils regularly celebrate our diversity through themed days such as ‘Africa Day’ and ‘Nigerian Independence Day.
Our pupil leadership groups (including our Mini Vinnies, Prayer Leaders and Welcome Ambassadors) support us in ensuring our school is a welcoming and inclusive place to be.
Our pupils regularly lead fundraising events. We have donated games and books to Schools of Sanctuary as well as donating regularly to the Refugee and Migrant Centre.
Our School of Sanctuary Corridor display
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