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What is a School of Sanctuary?
Schools of Sanctuary is an initiative to celebrate the good practice of schools that welcome asylum seeking and refugee families into their school community and foster a culture of welcome and inclusion for all. Schools of Sanctuary offers a way to engage sanctuary seekers and families with their local communities and educate children and teachers about the human right to sanctuary. The aim is to create a safe environment that includes everybody in a school, regardless of people’s background, ethnicity, faith or gender, as stated in the Equality Act 2010. Our journey towards becoming a School of Sanctuary was underpinned by our school ethos and values as a UNICEF Rights Respecting School, and our work to ensure ensure our children receive their rights set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically Article 22 on refugee children.
A School of Sanctuary is a school committed to be a safe and welcoming space for all. It is a school demonstrating a whole-school approach to support and understand those who may be seeking sanctuary. A School of Sanctuary is a school helping its students, 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.
At Sydenham Primary School, 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.
Our School of Sanctuary Award
Our school was awarded as a School of Sanctuary in January 2025. Here are some of the feedback comments we received:
'The appraisal panel were extremely impressed by the efforts which have gone into building staff expertise. What was clear is this is a focus for continuous improvement and the leadership team and other staff are proactive in their approach to exploring ways to develop. For example, by supporting parents and enabling one of the parents of a child seeking sanctuary to have a job at the school. The pupil, a boy in Year 4, shared his pride in seeing his mother working at the school. He said, "It was fantastic to see my mum working at the school even though her English isn't perfect. I'm really proud of her". It's a great example of how families can be part of the school community.
It is clear when visiting Sydenham that being a school of sanctuary, welcoming and including all children, was embedded at every level from strategically with the school leaders and governors to the classroom teachers and pupils. This was evident in the experiences we heard from the pupils. We are confident that not only is there a foundation of expertise at Sydenham, but that this will be built upon in the coming years.
One student, a year 6 pupil, when asked about her experiences of first coming to Sydenham Primary described her first day at school. She said, “I was a bit scared at first, but it was soon lots of fun”.
Visually, the school would be a leading example to others. The refugee week display, art display, class work book exhibition, displays of all the different languages and which pupils and staff speak what languages, and the books on display in the library and other areas are all fantastic examples of how to physically share the school of sanctuary message.
Arguably, what is even more impressive is the way these values have been embedded in the children at Sydenham. When asked about welcoming others, one child explained ‘sharing makes everyone happy’ and another answered ‘the act of kindness’ when asked about being a UNICEF rights respecting ambassador. The panel were extremely impressed by the ability of the children we spoke with to confidently and eloquently articulate their values, why they matter to them, and what they do and enjoy doing in their roles as Young Interpreters and UNICEF rights respecting ambassadors.
The panel were very pleased to see the work that has been exhibited in the local library and now on display in the school. We welcome the offer from the school to host visitors interested in learning more about schools of sanctuary, and believe that, as the first school in Warwickshire to be awarded, others will be inspired by the commitment and work shown at Sydenham.
Cllr Kam Kaur, Portfolio Holder for Education at Warwickshire County Council said, “Congratulations to the staff and students at Sydenham Primary School for their unwavering commitment to fostering a compassionate and welcoming environment for all. Their dedication to ensuring every child feels valued is inspiring, and this achievement reflects Warwickshire's ambition as a child-friendly county to ensure all children feel safe, happy, and heard. The award acknowledges schools that foster a culture of inclusion for refugees and asylum-seeking children and families. The approach also benefits children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND. Becoming a School of Sanctuary requires a whole school effort and going above and beyond statutory requirements.”
Refugee Week Learning
Annually, our school participates in activities to raise awareness during Refugee Week. Last year's theme was 'Our Home', and our school community worked in partnership with the Warwickshire Migration Team; Warwickshire EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Service); Warwickshire Library Service; Warwickshire Community Partnerships team; UNICEF and the Royal Shakespeare Company on a number of exciting projects. We used the 'Simple Acts' framework to support the children's learning:
- Children developed their understanding of the experiences of displaced people by listening to the first-hand experiences of refugees in assemblies and workshops.
- Children looked at the story of Paddington Bear and watched the film. Although Paddington's story might be a funny and adorable tale of a famous marmalade-eating bear, Paddington is often referred to as a 'refugee' because he was displaced because of a natural disaster (an earthquake) which destroyed his family’s livelihood (producing marmalade). The children learnt that many of the problems Paddington faces in the film centre on assimilation into a new society that he recently become a part of. The sequel to the first film again sees Paddington facing a number of issues relating to his status as an illegal immigrant, in a city that is not always welcoming to him.
- UNICEF and Paddington have teamed up tocreate bespoke advent calendars - each window reveals a daily surprise gift that protects children, including refugee children, around the world, including blankets, school supplies and vaccines. Our pupil UNICEF Ambassadors are leading a fund-raising project to support refugee children around the world by organising a 'Wear it Blue Day' on World Children's Day. The funds raised will be used to purchase a Paddington Advent Calendars for each class.
- During Forest School outdoor learning, pupils imagined they were refugees and built shelters using resources they had to hand. It helped the children to think about being more resourceful and helped them to empathise with refugees and try to understand what it is like to be a refugee.
- Children watched a film called 'Migrants' as part of the 'Into Film' collection for Refugee Week. The poignant film (without any dialogue) is about two polar bears - a parent and a child - who are forced to flee their Arctic home dueto the melting ice caused by climate change. Their journey to find a new place to live sees them discover a forest comunity of brown bears. However, they don't get the welcome they expect and find it difficult to survive in their hostile new surroundings. This animated short film doesn't shy away from reflecting the harsh reality of many refugees' and migrants' stories, depicting how they are regularly persecuted by wider society.
- Some of our children and families who have experienced forced migration worked with a community artist, Jenny Davis, to collaboratively create a textiles work of art, which was proudly displayed in Leamington Library during Refugee Week.
- All of the children made books on the Refugee Week theme of 'Home', which were displayed in exhibitions in Warwickshire libraries during Refugee Week.
- School purchased a collection of picture books on the theme of forced migration and displacement recommended by BookTrust. Children discovered these stories during whole class guided reading sessions and as part of our daily read-aloud programme, which deepened their understanding of the experiences of refugees.
- Using the Refugee Week Simple Acts framework, children learnt about taking small actions to care for our shared home (including our schools; the local community; and our planet). The children learnt that ‘together we can sow the seeds of change’, and that caring for our global home isn’t just about protecting the environment, but also about nurturing our interconnected communities and seeking to achieve a sustainable future for everyone. Our children and families were encouraged to spend time in nature and re-connect with the earth. Some groups of children participated in Forest School sessions on our school site, and others took part in Forest School activities at our local art gallery, Compton Verney. A Junior Leadership Team of Eco Representatives was established. They formed an Eco Committee with various members of staff, and formed an action plan, reflecting on the Global Goals. The children reflected on ways in which they could care of our school environments and established a group of ‘Womblers’, who pick up litter at break times. They designed a logo and badge; ordered litter-picking resources; and led an assembly about their work during Refugee Week.
- Children in Year 3 participated in the Sanctuary Foundation's national art and poetry competition, in which they were invited to write a poem entitled, 'No Place Like Home'. One of our pupil's, Ephraim, was one of the competition winners! Ephraim's poem was read aloud by Sir Jonathan Pryce, who also presented the prize at the British Library. The winners also had their work displayed at the British Library during World Refugee Week, and were featured in the Sanctuary Foundation's special national online assembly.
Watch the Sanctuary Foundation's Awards Ceremony
No Place Loike Home, by Ephraim
My Refuge is my garden because it is relaxing, full of nature and sunny.
A place I can relax.
My refuge is a library, quiet, calm and large.
A place where I can read.
My refuge is the beach because it's peaceful, warm and beautiful.
A place where I can make sandcastles.
My refuge is the night because I can see the jet-black night sky, twinkling stars
and the shining moon.
A place where I can dream.
- Children from our schools worked with Karen Payne from the Warwickshire Migration Team, the Royal Shakespeare Company and adult refugees to learn about traditional clothing from different countries, and attended the ‘Fashion Show for Refugee Week – Clothes from Home – Refugee Runway’ at the Royal Shakespeare Company on Friday 21st June, 2024. This work honoured refugees worldwide, and recognised the strength and courage of individuals who have been forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict. The work, culminating in the fashion show, promoted inclusivity, understanding and solidarity. Please click on the link below to see the PPT of the learning children participated in.
- Children made postcards, inspired by the 'Migrations: Open Hearts, Open Borders' collection designand written by picture book illustrators. The postcards display messages of hope about human migration, showing how cultures, ideas and aspirations flow, despite borders, barriers and bans.