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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:

  1. Learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
  2. Take positive action to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within your school and the wider community.
  3. 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

  • Birmingham has two new Schools of Sanctuary!

    Posted by: Birmingham
  • Ripon's first School of Sanctuary - March 2018

     

    Ripon's first school of sanctuary
    Posted by: Ripon
  • Wolverhampton's first two Schools of Sanctuary

    In partnership with Wolverhampton Schools Improvement Service, we are proud to announce that not just one, but two Schools of…

    Photo of School of Sanctuary Presentation
    Posted by: Wolverhampton
  • What groups have done with the 1st round of Guardian grants

    Part 1: What Groups Have Done

    Posted by: City of Sanctuary
  • Norfolk Welcomes

    On Friday 20th April schools across Norfolk will be taking action to educate their pupils about the experiences of displaced…

    Posted by: Norwich
  • Schools of Sanctuary Launch - Swindon!

    We had a great launch event thanks to funding from the Global Learning Programme! Around 30 people attended, including teachers from…

    Posted by: Swindon
  • 'UK sanctuary network offers vital backstop for refugees, asylum-seekers' - UNHCR features City of Sanctuary in article

    The UNHCR website now features an article about City of Sanctuary – you can read it here

    Posted by: City of Sanctuary
  • NPTCOS Launch 2017

    On Wednesday May 24th, we launched Neath Port Talbot City of Sanctuary, with a Syrian / Welsh Culture event at…

    Posted by: City Template
  • Louth Town Council Funds Befriending

    In October 2016, East Lindsey Area of Sanctuary (now Greater Lincolnshire Area of Sanctuary) received £1,000 from the Guardian newspaper’s…

    Posted by: Area
  • Latest on the campaign to boycott the school census

    Last week the Department for Education published stats on nationality and country of birth data. They show that schools failed to collect…

    Posted by: City of Sanctuary
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© 2018 Schools of Sanctuary.

Schools of Sanctuary is part of the City of Sanctuary Network, a movement spread throughout the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for refugees seeking sanctuary from war and persecution.

City of Sanctuary Network Information

About

About City of Sanctuary

City of Sanctuary holds the vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution. In order to realise this vision, City of Sanctuary UK supports a network of groups, which includes villages, towns, cities and regions across the UK, and others engaged in Streams of Sanctuary, Sanctuary Awards  and activities intended to welcome people seeking sanctuary.

  • About Us
  • About Groups
  • About Streams
  • About Awards
  • Our Staff
  • Our Trustees
  • Annual reports
  • Asylum Matters
  • News
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Film Archive
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Groups

City of Sanctuary Groups

How to set up a group

Becoming a City of Sanctuary

Contact a group

Scotland

  • Aberdeen
  • Edinburgh
  • East Lothian
  • Glasgow
  • Stirling

North West

  • Blackburn & Darwen
  • Bolton
  • Burnley
  • Bury
  • Chester
  • Lancaster and Morecambe
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Preston
  •  Wirral

North East

  • Durham
  • Gateshead
  • Newcastle
  • Northumberland
  • Sunderland
  • Tees Valley

Yorkshire and Humberside

  • Barnsley
  • Bentham
  • Bradford
  • Calderdale
  • Doncaster
  • Greater Lincolnshire
  • Harrogate District
  • Hull
  • Kirklees
  • Leeds
  • Malhamdale
  • Ripon
  • Sheffield
  • Skipton
  • Wakefield
  • York

Central England

  • Birmingham
  • Cambridge
  • Coventry
  • Derby
  • Greater Lincolnshire
  • Ipswich
  • Leicester
  • Loughborough
  • Malvern
  • Northampton
  • Norwich
  • Nottingham
  • Stafford
  • Walsall
  • Wolverhampton

South and South East

  • Brighton & Hove
  • Camden
  • Chichester
  • Colchester
  • East Hoathly and Halland
  • East Kent
  • Elmbridge
  • Hackney
  • Hastings
  • Medway
  • Oxford
  • Reading
  • Sutton
  • West London Mentors

South West

  • Bath
  • Bournemouth and Poole
  • Bristol
  • Cheltenham
  • Cornwall
  • Dorset
  • Exeter
  • Gloucester
  • North Devon
  • Plymouth
  • Portsmouth
  • Southampton
  • Swindon

Wales

  • Abergavenny
  • Cardiff
  • Croeso Teifi
  • Hay,Brecon & Talgarth
  • Machynlleth (Mid Wales)
  • Montgomeryshire
  • Neath Port Talbot
  • Swansea
  • Valleys of Sanctuary
  • Wrexham

Places of Sanctuary Ireland

Northern Ireland

  • Belfast
  • Causeway
  • Derry/Londonderry

Ireland

  • Cork
  • Dublin
  • Ennis
  • Galway
  • Monaghan
  • Portlaoise
  • Limerick
  • Waterford

Streams & Group Activities

Streams & Group Activities

Streams

  • Arts
  • Health
  • Maternity
  • Schools
  • Universities

Group Activites

  • Inspiration Hub
  • Advocacy and Campaigning
  • Awareness Raising
  • Befriending, Welcome Projects and Mentoring
  • Connecting People / Events
  • Drop-ins
  • Gardens of Sanctuary
  • Hosting
  • Pledges and Turning Commitment into Action
  • Regional Networking
  • Sanctuary in Politics
  • Sanctuary Breaks
  • Sponsorship / Resettlement
  • Working with Councils / Authorities

Resources

Resources

Resources by theme

  • Arts
  • Destitution
  • Detention
  • ESOL
  • Faiths
  • Government
  • Health
  • Housing
  • LGBTQI
  • Maternity
  • Resettlement
  • Schools
  • Sports
  • Universities
  • Women

Resources for groups

  • Safeguarding
  • Activities
  • Advocacy and Campaigning
  • Awareness Raising
  • Finance
  • Fundraising
  • Governance
  • Media and Communications
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Practicalities for Running a Group (inc. Volunteering and Employing a Worker)
  • Tools and Templates
  • Training
  • Website and Email
  • Working with your Local Authority

Other resources

  • Resources for Streams
  • Facts and Figures
  • Information for Sanctuary Seekers
  • FAQs

Get Involved

Get Involved

  • Sign up to our newsletter
  • Do you want to join or start a group?
  • Latest CoS UK Events
  • Current vacancies
  • Are you an organisation with a partnership project idea?
  • Awards