We are thrilled to announce that St. Teresa’s has now been awarded the School of Sanctuary status. This recognition celebrates our commitment to creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone, especially refugees and those seeking sanctuary.
What is a School of Sanctuary?
A School of Sanctuary is a school that is committed to being safe and welcoming to all, especially those seeking sanctuary. This includes people whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a safe space.
A School of Sanctuary is a school which helps its pupils, staff and wider community to 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.
Becoming a School of Sanctuary
The three principles of being a School of Sanctuary are to:
LEARN about what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
TAKE POSITIVE ACTION to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within school and the wider community.
SHARE your vision and achievements – be proud!
Our Pledge
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.
We are willing for our organisation’s name to be added to a list of supporters of City of Sanctuary, linked to our website. We are also willing to be contacted by City of Sanctuary with further ideas for how we can turn our support into practical action and to discuss ways we might work together to promote the vision further.
Some examples of what we do in school to embed the School of Sanctuary principles:
Share books on different cultures and refugees, PSED talk about what children hear on the news e.g. Ukraine, Saying greetings in different languages, Parents coming in to talk about their cultures, Share lots of celebrations from other countries, Learn about music from across the world, Promote and all inclusive, equal environment from EYFS, Learning about Women who changed the world, including Rosa Parks, Mary Seacole, Universal Church Unit, CAFOD RE, -Languages Week, children share stories in different languages, Shoe Box Appeal, Celebrate Refugee Week, Collection for food banks, CAFOD Global Neighbours Unit, Lenten Walk- CAFOD, Peace Crane lunchtime group, English unit Lubna and Pebble, Black and British in History, Diversity women across the history curriculum, Poetry unit on Maya Angelou, English unit on Little People, Big Dreams including refugees, Class work on Ukraine, Kindertransport for World War History topic, -Diversity in books for independent reading including After the War, No Ballet Shoes in Syria, Road to Nowhere, Show Racism the Red Card workshops, Kids Action Thru Science (KATS) project creating International Links with children and teachers in Delhi, India, Ancient Egyptians
A very proud achievement for St. Teresa’s!