1. Our Journey towards becoming a School of Sanctuary.
St. Nicholas of Tolentine RC Primary School

2. What is a School of Sanctuary?
A school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for those seeking sanctuary.
A school that helps its pupils, staff and community understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
It is a place of safety and welcome to ALL.

3. Background to our school
Small primary school in Easton, Bristol.
Inner city school – children from many countries.
High proportion of families from countries in Africa.
Many children from the families of asylum seekers / refugees.
Strong global curriculum – driven by our partnership with a school in Masindi, Uganda.

4. Our journey towards becoming a School of Sanctuary began here...
...with a project on Conflict and Peace.*
This is our partner school in Masindi, Uganda. The school has a lot of children who are refugees from the conflict in Northern Uganda and South Sudan. Each year, teachers and children throughout our two schools work on a joint project with a global theme. This time our joint project was based on the theme of ‘Conflict and Peace’. It was this project that led us to work towards becoming a ‘School of Sanctuary’.

5. Global Theme: Conflict and Peace
Our project:
Global Theme: Conflict and Peace
Global Skills: Conflict resolution, developing empathy.
Global outcome: Commitment to Peace.
Week 1: Conflict
Week 2: Refugees
Week 3: Black History Week - Nobel Peace Prize winners , e.g. Nelson Mandela.
Week 4: Peace

6. How can our school become a Sanctuary?
LEARN about what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
TAKE ACTION to embed welcome, safety and inclusion
in school.
3. SHARE what you have done with others!

7. Learn what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
KS1
What causes conflict?
Where is there conflict in the world?
What are the consequences?
Activity – Imagine you have 5 minutes to leave
Your home....what would you take with you?
Videos – Carly’s story (BBC)
Books – The Colour of Home.
Key skill: Developing Empathy.
Learn what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
We started by thinking about what causes conflict between ourselves and others. We role played examples of conflict in the playground and how such conflicts can be resolved. Children started to resolve conflicts themselves. Year 6 children trained to become peer mediators. We then moved on to look at where there is conflict in the world, and what the consequences are – refugees.

8. Learn what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
KS2
Books – The Name Jar,
Refugee Boy.
Videos – Real refugee children
- Hamid
Partnership visits.
Famous refugees.
Famous refugees – looking at how refugees have made a positive contribution to society in the UK.

9. What is the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee?
Whole school
Speakers: Bristol Refugee Rights
Borderlands – charity set up by our church.
Why do people become refugees?
Where do refugees come from?
Why do refugees come to the UK…to Bristol?
What is the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee?
Learn what it means to be seeking sanctuary.

10. Take Action
How can we make refugees welcome in our school?
Ideas from pupils
Make posters!

11. Children made welcome posters in lots of different languages.

12. More Ideas from pupils:
Look after new children.
Learn some words in their language / teach them English.
Include them in our games. Leave no-one out.*
Support a refugee charity, e.g. Borderlands.
Write to our M.P.
* This provided a good link with anti-bullying week.

13. Ideas from Teachers:
Create a welcoming environment – displays / books that reflect the diversity of our school.
School website – different languages.
Country of the month.
Language of the day / week
Provide welcome packs for new families.
Provide interpreters.
Buddies
EAL support / ‘Little Bridge’.

14. Share learning with others.
Class assemblies.
School website.
Partner school.
Cultural evening presentation / display.
Schools of Sanctuary conference – choir performance, presentation.
Help other schools become a School of Sanctuary.

15. Activities for Reception children
Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear arrived at Temple Meads train station in Bristol – as opposed to Paddington train station in London. He arrived as a refugee. He was welcomed into our Reception class and the children thought of ways to make him feel safe and welcome!

16. Meet Mariam!
Mariam is a persona doll. She is an asylum seeker. The children learnt from Mariam what an asylum seeker is, and thought of ways to make her feel safe and welcome in their class.

17. Where next?
New projects:
Child Rights 2015 – ‘All Children have Rights’, including those seeking sanctuary.
Child Rights – focus on identity – a name, nationality and religion.
Other opportunities….

18. Steps to becoming a School of Sanctuary.
Read the ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ pack – available on the ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ website.
Register (free)
Create an action plan – learn, act, share.
Complete / evaluate action plan
Submit evidence.
Feedback / presentation of certificate.

19. Impact! Pupils Teachers Whole school
Consider the impact becoming a ‘School of Sanctuary’ has on pupils , teachers and whole school and community.

20. https://schools.cityofsanctuary.org/
Click on the links to visit the ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ page on our school website.
Any questions – please me!
The ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ website is excellent. Click on ‘resources’ to view the ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ resource pack. This has links to lots of useful resources.