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Schools of Sanctuary in Leeds

Schools of Sanctuary in Leeds

Schools of Sanctuary in Leeds

Schools of Sanctuary is taking off in Leeds again! Schools  recently celebrated Refugee Week with a special event at Leeds Civic Hall. Congratulations to Lawnswood and John Smeaton who received their SoS Awards!

More Leeds’ schools are signing up to the award and all  have recently received their Leeds Schools of Sanctuary Booklet which you can find on the Leeds Church Institute Website.

Leeds City Council PSHE Wellbeing Day. Katherine Hogg, Leeds SoS Lead and Anna Mason, EAL at Lawnswood School gave a workshop at this online event. You can receive a recording by We Transfer on request by emailing [email protected]

Soon there will be a children’s resource available telling the story of leaving your home and the challenges this presents as well as the opportunities that eventually lie ahead. It is based on the stained glass windows of Christ Church Upper Armley and the resource by Janet Fraser Smith called ‘Refugee Realities in Church Art.’

There is lots more information about Schools of Sanctuary nationally on the main site. In particular you can find the national Resource Pack.

Schools of Sanctuary aims to:

  • Promote positive attitudes within schools and their communities around people seeking sanctuary
  • Support schools to take positive steps and to be proud of being places of safety and inclusion for all
  • Recognise and celebrate schools that are committed to welcoming and supporting people seeking sanctuary

Why get involved?

  • Create a sense of safety and inclusion for all
  • Develop understanding of what it means to seek sanctuary and dispel negative myths
  • Provide learning opportunities around human rights, social justice, diversity and interdependence
  • Strengthen race equality and community cohesion work
  • Increase student voice and promote active citizenship

How can my school get involved?

We invite all schools in Leeds to get involved. The process is outlined on the national website.

Please be sure to:

  1. Have a look at our short Leeds Schools of Sanctuary magazine
  2. Sign the organisational pledge
  3. Contact Katherine, your local lead on [email protected] to let me know you want to start the process.
  4. I will then contact you and we’ll meet either in person or online.
  5. You can make use of the audit tool to see where you are at already in relation to the criteria.
  6. When you are ready, you can fill out an application form and submit your evidence online. There are guidance notes to help you.
  7. You will then be assessed by a panel to see if you have met the criteria under the three principles of LEARN, EMBED and SHARE.
  8. Finally you will be presented with an official School of Sanctuary certificate!

The principles in brief

  1. Learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary
  2. Embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within your school and the wider community
  3. Share your vision and achievements – be proud!

Other details