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School of Sanctuary
A School of Sanctuary is a school committed to being a safe and welcoming place for those seeking sanctuary. This includes people whose lives were in danger in their own countries, those facing difficulties at home, or anyone seeking a place of safety.
As a School of Sanctuary, we help students, staff, and the wider community understand what it means to seek sanctuary. We work actively to extend a welcome to everyone as equal and valued members of our community. We are proud to be a school that places safety, dignity, and inclusion at the heart of all we do.
We work closely with our Anti-Racism Team, Anti-Bullying Team, and Holocaust Beacon Group to strengthen our commitment to inclusion. This collaborative approach ensures that all members of our school community feel safe, welcome, and supported to flourish.
Student leadership plays an important role in this work. Dedicated prefects support inclusion across teams and help embed our shared values in everyday school life. Our Cultural Ambassadors actively promote understanding, belonging, and respect, helping to share our message of welcome with students, staff, and visitors.
We have developed strong partnerships with local refugee and support charities, including Justice First, the Mary Thompson Foundation, and Purple Rose. These partnerships deepen our community impact and strengthen our commitment to advocacy and compassion.
Commitment to Welcome and Inclusion
Becoming a School of Sanctuary is central to our identity and values. We are committed to being welcoming and inclusive to all visitors and students, celebrating diversity and promoting understanding across cultures and experiences.
The School of Sanctuary is led by a dedicated staff member and supported by a team of Cultural Ambassadors who work alongside students and the wider community. Our school community reflects a rich linguistic and cultural heritage, and we actively foster peer support to help new arrivals feel included and connected.
Parents, carers, and community members are encouraged to be part of this work. By working together, we strengthen our culture of welcome and shared responsibility.
Community Celebration and Partnership
Our Cultural Ambassadors have led celebration events that bring the community together through shared food, music, and cultural traditions. These experiences promote understanding, joy, and respectful curiosity, allowing students to share their heritage and learn from one another.
Our Care in the Community Leaders support local charities through practical action, including the collection of care packages for partner organisations. Students also work with local primary schools to share learning about what it means to be a School of Sanctuary, helping to build understanding beyond our own setting.
We remain committed to challenging misconceptions, speaking up for justice, and acting with compassion. We continue to be courageous advocates for those seeking sanctuary, ensuring that our school remains a place where the door is always open.
Committed to creating a culture of Welcome and Inclusion
Our journey towards becoming a School of Sanctuary is central to our values. We are committed to ensuring our school is welcoming and inclusive for all students, families, and visitors from across the world.
This work is supported by a team of Cultural Ambassadors who help develop and strengthen our commitment to welcome and inclusion across the school. Our academy reflects a rich cultural and linguistic diversity, with students speaking a wide range of languages.
We are committed to supporting new arrivals and aim to provide peer buddying to support language integration and a strong sense of belonging. If you are a parent or carer and would like to support this work, we warmly encourage you to get in touch.
Bringing Cultures Together with a Love of Food
The
cultural ambassadors held a celebration evening where they all made traditional dishes and invited a friend along to share the experience. Each student also chose a piece of music from their culture and this was played during the evening. We had food from India, South Africa, Italy and Lithuania. The food was amazing and everyone enjoyed talking about their dishes and explaining the origins and when this food would be eaten.
Care in the Community Leaders
Our Care in the Community Leaders also collected care packages for our other community charity, Purple Rose. Our Cultural Ambassadors also worked with St. Francis Primary to share our understanding of what it means to be a School of Sanctuary. We will continue to myth bust and be courageous advocates for those who seek sanctuary in our community. Our door is always open.
Justice First
We are proud to support our local charity, Justice First, based in Stockton. Justice First supports people in the final stages of the asylum process, helping them prepare their claims and giving them the best possible opportunity to seek safety.
The charity raises awareness of the hardship faced by many families and provides a safe and trusting environment where people can share their refugee journeys with dignity. Through this work, Justice First has supported hundreds of people within our local community.
Our school community actively supports this work through fundraising and awareness‑raising activities. This strong partnership enables people with lived experience to share their stories, helping us to develop courageous advocacy and make a meaningful difference.
Our vision is of a society based on welcome, acceptance, and dignity for all who seek safety in the UK.
To find out more about the important work of Justice First, please visit their website: Justice First
Myth Busting
People become refugees for a number of different reasons, including: Persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. For well over a decade, the number of people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution has steadily increased.
Refugees – Some useful terminology.
Asylum seeker
Someone who leaves their homeland and arrives in another country. They make themselves known to the government and submit an ‘asylum application’ so they can be seen as a refugee in another country. They have a legal right to stay in the country while their application is processed.
Refugee
Someone who has proven to the government that they would be at risk if returned to their home country. They have had their application for asylum accepted by the government. They can now stay there either long-term or indefinitely.
Migrant
Someone who has left or fled their home to go to new places to seek opportunities or safer and better prospects. This term can mean anyone who has left their country for any reason.
Visit to Dene Academy
Denr Academy in Peterlee invited Mrs Buchan to come and see the wonderful work they had done over the last year in preparation for their successful accreditation as a school of Sanctuary. Part of the important work schools complete as part of SoS is to encourage schools to share best practice and build a wider community of support and welcome.
The school talked at length about the art work they created to support a welcoming entrance to the school, diversity across the curriculum and even the work with Open Door Charity in Middlesbrough to celebrate Refugee Week.
We hope this link with another school will help to strengthen links with our communities and the work we can do together will make a real difference to people seeking sanctuary. Dene Academy’s School Council created a piece of installation art to show that everyone is welcome in their school. The Refuge Welcome Heart is proudly placed in their entrance hall as you walk in.
