We are currently working towards becoming a School of Sanctuary school. Our aim is to be part of the City of Sanctuary movement which holds the vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and a place that is proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
The Schools of Sanctuary initiative celebrates the good practice of schools who welcome asylum seeking and refugee families into their school community and foster a culture of welcome and inclusion for all. Today there are more than 300 Schools of Sanctuary in Wales and Ireland as well as many English cities and towns.
As a school, we are committed to creating a welcoming culture for all. We are proud to have taken the City of Sanctuary pledge to support, welcome and give sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
What have we done so far?
We have reviewed our curriculum to give children more opportunities to learn about migration, such as the ‘Strangers’ topic work in year 5/6 and Bronze Age migration in 3/4. In addition, we have purchased more books featuring a diverse range of characters for our school library and have had a focus on anti-racism through assemblies across the year. Our reading spine reflects different cultures, and our choice of text for inspiring writing have been carefully considered.
What next?
We are going to celebrate the Day of Welcome as a whole school community. This will take place on Friday 14th June. Children will take part in live lessons looking at issues around forced migration (at an age-appropriate level). We will have assemblies across the week, and it will be the focus during our circle group session. We will have further sessions and assemblies for Refugee Week, from June 17th-21st. More events will follow across the year, including a fundraiser for a local charity. For further information on Norfolk Schools of Sanctuary, please visit the website:
About Us — Norfolk Schools of Sanctuary (norfolksos.co.uk)
Further information about Cities of Sanctuary, which include Norwich, can be found here:
