Schools of Sanctuary 
A School of Sanctuary is a school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for all, especially those seeking sanctuary. This could be people whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a space of safety.
A School of Sanctuary is a school that helps 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.
The programme began in Yorkshire, England, and there are now Schools of Sanctuary in Wales and Ireland as well as many English cities and towns, and the resources can be adapted for a variety of school demographics and education systems. We strongly encourage schools to work in partnership with local City of Sanctuary groups and other partner organisations.
If you would like to know more about getting the programme started, please get in touch through the contact page.
There are three simple principles to being a School of Sanctuary:
- Learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
- Take positive action to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within your school and the wider community.
- Share your vision and achievements – be proud!
Visit our pages Why become a School of Sanctuary? and How can my school get involved? to find out more and see our Resources page for information and resources to get you started!
Latest Schools Posts from across the City of Sanctuary Network
Wales Nation of Sanctuary Summary Report.
We are delighted to bring you the Nation of Sanctuary Event Summary on World Refugee Day.
Posted by: SwanseaWorking to provide a safe space for children seeking sanctuary in Europe
Most mornings, if you are to walk down the main street of Chios town, you will see a large group…
Posted by: BristolChild Refugees Welcome? How schools can help.
Child refugees flee war and conflict and their journey to safety can be a long and traumatic. What can we…
Posted by: City of Sanctuary BlogMusical resources for primary school children and Refugee week
Caroline Hoile of Grumpy Sheep Music for primary education has returned from volunteering in a refugee camp in Greece and says that she is…
Posted by: SchoolsYork - City of Human Rights, Short Film
York City of Sanctuary coordinator helped with this film about York becoming a City of Human Rights this year. Paul talks about the importance of human rights and how York has now become the very first City of Human Rights in the UK. we hope that many more follow suit.
Posted by: YorkNUT support the campaign against schools data collection
At the weekend, the National Union of Teachers’ annual conference passed a motion condemning the Department for Education’s attempts to…
Posted by: City of SanctuaryFree awareness-raising training available through Swansea CVS.
We are pleased to be delivering a free awareness-raising training session, about issues affecting asylum seekers and refugees, through the…
Posted by: SwanseaHackney Borough of Sanctuary support for Syrian families
Hackney Borough of Sanctuary recently held an annual general meeting on 15 February 2017 to discuss how to give support to the process of bringing Syrian families to Hackney as part of Hackney Council’s commitment to bring families under the UNHCR programme.
Posted by: HackneyMapping Sanctuary in Edinburgh
As more refugees and asylum seekers arrive in Edinburgh, many brilliant initiatives have sprung up to provide a welcome across the city. As more groups are stepping forward to offer help and support – from providing bikes and language lessons through to advice on navigating the education and health system – the network becomes wider but more difficult to visualise.
Posted by: City TemplateNew Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary exhibition
The Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary network has produced an exhibition which, at the moment, is on display in the very…
Posted by: Birmingham