The City of Sanctuary UK Vision

City of Sanctuary UK is a small refugee-sector charity whose vision is that the UK will be a place of welcome for all – and committed to justice and solidarity for people seeking sanctuary.

Through our work with institutions like schools, colleges, universities, councils, libraries and more, we aim to ensure that whenever people seeking safety are accessing basic services, they are are effectively supported and met with understanding and empathy.

Schools of Sanctuary aims to achieve this by:

1. Supporting schools to build teachers expertise in supporting vulnerable new arrivals, and adopt practice that ensures children seeking sanctuary feel safe, belonging and are able to thrive in school;
2. Raising awareness about the realities of people seeking safety with learners, staff governors, parent/carers and wider communities to build empathy and challenge common misconceptions;
3. Enabling schools to connect and collaborate with local charities, organisations and institutions, to help connect the dots in local support and services and foster understanding and kindness within local communities.

To achieve a Sanctuary Award, schools must go through the Learn, Embed and Share processes and demonstrate the fulfilment of the eight minimum criteria. Learn more about the Schools of Sanctuary Award.

This is how one school feels about earning the Schools of Sanctuary award…

Why become a School of Sanctuary?

Schools sit at the heart of our communities, making them powerful spaces for fostering compassion, inclusion, and support for families seeking sanctuary.

Globally, over 108 million people have been forcibly displaced as of 2022—40% of them children. This urgent reality demands a response rooted in empathy and understanding, and schools play a crucial role in leading that response.

In the UK, this role is more vital than ever. Hostile and often misleading public and media rhetoric fuels harmful immigration policies and social division. Schools can counter this by promoting kindness, challenging misinformation, and modelling inclusive values.

With recent arrivals from countries such as Ukraine and Afghanistan, and changes to asylum dispersal policies, schools are often the first point of contact for refugee families. Yet, many educators face this responsibility without adequate training, guidance, or funding.

The Schools of Sanctuary programme supports schools in developing the knowledge, practices, and confidence needed to welcome and support sanctuary-seeking students. When schools embrace this role, the impact on young people’s wellbeing, integration, and educational outcomes is profound.

Students themselves are often passionate about standing up for those most marginalised. Through the programme, they gain the skills, awareness, and agency to take meaningful action—building both character and citizenship for life.

“Becoming a School of Sanctuary has been a transformative process that has contributed to being recognised as a national inclusion centre for excellence at a primary school that was failing five years ago.”  Victoria K, Headteacher in North Yorkshire

Working towards becoming a School of Sanctuary offers schools a meaningful and unifying focus for development across key areas, including:

• Meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010
• Imaginative re-engagement with required curriculum areas such literacy, language arts, geography, history, humanities
• Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education and ‘British Values’
• Aligning with the emphasis on ‘courageous advocacy’ in the SIAMS framework and the principle of Catholic Social Justice Teaching.
• Building an inclusive school culture of belonging that reduces intolerance, hate speech and bullying
• Improving the provision of English as an additional language in school
• Fostering ethically-informed active citizenship and changemaking skills amongst young people
• Engaging families and strengthening the school’s role in the local community

“The Schools of Sanctuary initiative continues to have a huge impact in our school. In recent years, it has been influential in supporting the improvement of provision for EAL families, creating news links with parents and the wider community, enriching and diversifying our curriculum, improving the induction and provision for refugee pupils and their families and much more. Fundamentally it has been key in the school living up to and sharing its values and ethos with the community and building a culture of welcome, safety and inclusion for all. The fact that Norfolk County Council have become involved in the organisation and facilitation of the network recently is testament to the ability of the Schools of Sanctuary initiative to drive school improvement and improve the educational experiences and outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged families in our schools.” Jake RB, Teacher in Norfolk

Ready to get started?

Sign the pledge and become a School of Sanctuary

If you are in the Republic of Ireland, please visit Places of Sanctuary Ireland