Schools of Sanctuary

Summary of scheme 

The Schools of Sanctuary scheme is a growing network of educational settings committed to creating a culture of welcome, understanding, and belonging for those forced to flee.  

Schools of Sanctuary is an initiative to celebrate the good practice of schools who foster a culture of welcome and belonging for all, especially asylum seeking and refugee families. Schools of Sanctuary helps and encourages schools to educate the whole school community about the experiences of people who are forcibly displaced and engage with and support people seeking sanctuary in their local communities.  

The aim is to create a school environment that fosters belonging, safety, respect, awareness and support, regardless of people's background, ethnicity, faith or gender. Schools that are committed to the scheme's shared vision of welcome and belonging can apply for a Schools of Sanctuary award. 

How will this scheme benefit schools and settings? 

As of the end of 2022, there are more than 108 million people who have been forcibly displaced, of whom about 40% are children. Schools and settings have a powerful role in building cultures of welcome, understanding and compassion and ensuring families seeking sanctuary are effectively supported.  

The School of Sanctuary scheme is beneficial for several reasons: 

1. Fosters a Culture of Welcome and Safety: The scheme fosters a culture of welcome, understanding, and belonging for those forced to flee. It helps create a safe and inclusive culture of welcome that benefits everyone, including anyone in the community seeking sanctuary. 
2. Educates the Community: Schools and settings can help their children and young people, staff, and wider community learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration. 
3. Promotes Sharing of Values and Activities: Schools and settings are encouraged to share their values and activities with their local communities. 
4. Supports Wellbeing and Engagement with Learning: Ensuring sanctuary-seeking children and young people are supported in school has tangible impacts on their wellbeing and educational engagement and outcomes. 
5. Strategic Tool for Improvement: Becoming a School of Sanctuary provides schools with a valuable strategic tool for school improvement and enables them to meet a wide range of statutory and non-statutory obligations including meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. 
6. Access to Resources, Advice, and Guidance: The Schools of Sanctuary programme helps schools access the resources, advice, and guidance needed to review and refine their practice and build much-needed expertise in relevant areas. 
7. Fosters ethically informed active citizenship and changemaking skills amongst children and young people: Children and young people often feel passionately about standing with those who are most marginalised and disadvantaged and Schools of Sanctuary support them to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to take action and make change. These are transferable skills that help children and young people become responsible citizens and positive changemakers. 

How to find out more 

You can find out more about the School of Sanctuary scheme and the award on their website. 

To find out more about becoming a Norfolk School of Sanctuary, go to this padlet or email inclusionandsend@norfolk.gov.uk. 

Key contacts

If you have any specific questions regarding Schools of Sanctuary, please contact inclusionandsend@norfolk.gov.uk.