Over 530 schools across the UK took part in A Day of Welcome this year, with thousands of pupils, staff and families coming together to mark the annual day of solidarity with their school communities.
A Day of Welcome began in 2019 as a local initiative for schools in Norfolk, that helps to build a culture of welcome and understanding for people seeking sanctuary. Each year, we’ve managed to gain an increasing amount of interest and now, in its fifth year, we’re very proud to see A Day of Welcome being celebrated in schools right across East Anglia, and as far afield as the North of England and Cardiff.
Our bank of resources provides schools with a variety of activities and lesson plans that are suitable for children and young people, ranging from KS1 to KS4. The historical inspiration for some of our content was the story of the Kinder Transport, which saw refugee children brought to the UK by train to escape Nazi Germany. We also provide resources specifically designed for schools in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex, West Yorkshire and Wales that share each county’s little-known history of refugee migration, and this is an area we are developing year on year.
“We think schools want to help their students make sense of refugee migration, given that the topic has made headlines so much this year, especially with events in Afghanistan and Ukraine. The record interest in our Day of Welcome and Schools of Sanctuary scheme reflects a sea-change in attitudes towards newcomers to our towns and cities. We’re seeing a lot of goodwill, and I think schools feel they need the tools to help explore the topics of displacement and migration.”
Jake Rose-Brown, Norfolk Schools of Sanctuary Lead
The event’s success has led to interest from over 50 schools across the country, who are now seeking to join our network by becoming a School of Sanctuary.
Author webcasts
Amongst the highlights of A Day of Welcome 2023 were the three inspiring webcasts hosted by acclaimed writers, Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jameson (When Stars are Scattered), Dina Nayeri (The Waiting Place), and Edmund de Waal. Watched by more nearly 18,000 school children across the UK, the authors talked about works that had been inspired by stories of migration and displacement, and answered questions sent to them by the children.
Funded by VNET and the Young Norfolk Arts Trust, organisers said they were seeing an unprecedented level of interest in migration issues.
“VNET Education was delighted to be involved again with the Schools of Sanctuary’s ‘Day of Welcome’ this year. Spreading the message of sanctuary and inclusion to so many children will have a positive impact on the world they are growing up in.”
Nania Poulson, Operations Director at VNET
Fundraising
Across the country, participating schools were encouraged to raise funds for the Schools of Sanctuary initiative or local organisations supporting people seeking sanctuary.
For example, in Norfolk, schools were invited to donate towards the Welcome Wheels fundraiser that was run by local charity New Routes Integration. We are extremely proud to announce that 17 participating schools (listed below) managed to raise a total of £5,822 on A Day of Welcome.
Bignold Primary, St Germans Academy, St Williams Primary School, Diocese of Ely Academy Trust, Ellingham VC Primary School, Hellesdon High School, Hethersett Woodside Primary and Nursery, Taverham High School, Cringleford CE VA Primary School, St Martin Shouldham CofE Primary, Garboldisham Primary, Woodton Primary, Avenue Junior, Heartsease Primary Academy, Pulham Primary, Coleman Infant and Junior Schools and St Williams Primary School.
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We’re looking forward to growing our community of welcome even more and sharing our message with more schools in the coming year. To find out more and register to participate, click here.
Pupils’ Work
We absolutely love seeing the results of our resources and sharing school children’s work with our wider community. If you would like to share your school’s work from A Day of Welcome 2023, please email your photos to [email protected]
