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Dear friends,

With a General Election in less than a month, now is the time to supercharge our message of welcome. This is so all those standing know that we want compassionate leaders who will work to welcome and support people seeking sanctuary.
 
We know that as a member of our networks, every day you work hard to make sure children seeking safety and their families feel safe in your school and communities - but we want people seeking sanctuary to feel safe everywhere in the UK.
 
This can only happen if our leaders, whoever they are, share our view that we should lead with kindness, understanding and compassion. 
 
The ideas below are about making our message of welcome for people seeking sanctuary unavoidable, so that wherever a political candidate may go they will see that their community is calling for something better: stickers in windows, letters in papers, conversations in workplaces, and on doorsteps. We all have a role to play - communities, schools and YOU. 
 
Together we can make a clear call for a more welcoming UK. Thank you for helping us get there.
 
Read on for ideas about platforming a message of welcome and the usual news from schools, new resources, the latest opportunities and more!

Warm wishes
Megan, Schools of Sanctuary Coordinator
[email protected]

Get visible. If you are an awarded organisations, pick up have a solidarity window sticker visible. Order here or download a free Schools of Sanctuary poster.

Get heard. Right now the voices of people who want a compassionate approach to refugees are not being heard - but we can use the power of local media to change that.

Get talking. We each have enormous power in our own social circles. Use our top tips and start having courageous conversations about refugee rights today.

Get ready. What should you do when a canvasser knocks on your door? Follow our simple steps to make the most out of this valuable opportunity.
Schools of Sanctuary Newsletter
We smashed it!

At the end of May, I ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon to raise money for Schools of Sanctuary. More than 10 schools joined me, with staff and students running a mile and donating a pound each. Whilst the final fundraiser total is still pending, I wanted to say a sincere thank you to everyone who got involved and supported this effort.

Every penny raised goes to helping schools be places of safety and belonging where children seeking safety can thrive. At this challenging time, your support is massively appreciated and everything raised helps us keep the award and support programme completely free.

Thank you!

Donate now

We're delighted to welcome The Rosary Catholic Primary School and ST Thomas Aquinas Secondary School (Birmingham), Hartlepool Sixth Form (Hartlepool), Prendergast Ladywell Secondary School (Lewisham), Shireland Collegiate Academy (Sandwell) as our newest Schools of Sanctuary.

We also warmly celebrate the reaccreditation of Abbey RC Primary School (Birmingham), St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy (Wolverhampton).

Click here find out more about the awards process.
Upcoming Events & Celebrations
  • 14th June - A Day of Welcome. Register now.
  • 14th June @ 9.30 - Meet Bobble with Gulwali Passarlay for children aged 5-7. Register now. Online/FREE.
  • 14th June @ 10.30 - Meet Bobble with Gulwali Passarlay for children aged 7-9. Register now. Online/FREE.
  • 14th June @ 13.30 - The Power of Welcome with Nadine Kadaan for children aged 9-11. Register now.  Online/FREE/
  • 18th June @ 13.30 - British Library Authors into Schools: "Journeys" online event with SF Said and Viviane Schwarz. Register now. Online/FREE.
  • 19th June @ 10am Interactive 'Our Home' Refugee Week Assembly for KS2/KS3 from the University of Winchester. Register now. Online/FREE.
  • 20th June - World Refugee Day.
Upcoming Staff CPD Opportunities
  • 13th June @ 16.00: An Introduction to the Healing Classrooms Approach (International Rescue Committee/ A Day of Welcome).
  • 19th June: Refugee Education Conference (University of Winchester - in person/FREE).
  • 29th June: Working with multilingual learners. (The University of Westminster, London - in person)
  • June and July Cohorts varied dates - Healing Classrooms Basics Training (International Rescue Committee - online)
  • 9th July: Supporting Refugee Children in School (Refugee Education UK - online)
  • NOW - Apply for the 2024/25 Amnesty Teacher Training Course. (Strengthen your skills in teaching students and training colleagues on Human Rights Education).
  • ONGOING - Register for the TRACTION (Teaching Race, Belonging, Empire, and Migration) Toolkit Training.
  • ONGOING - EAL Assessment MOOC (The Bell Foundation)
  • RESOURCE - Waiting for School Project. Suggested CPD activities and resources for staff inset on the experiences of children seeking sanctuary.
Teaching & Learning Resources & Opportunities
  • Day of Welcome 2024 Teacher's Toolkit. Packed full of more resources and unique opportunities than ever before - making it as easy as possible to celebrate Refugee Week. Not to be missed!
  • New Book "Land of Waves" by Eugene O'Toole.
  • Refugee Week Children and Young People's Pack. Signposting to key resources and opportunities related to Refugee Week and access to the official Refugee Week images and resources.
  • Our Manifesto for the World: Giving Young People a Voice in the UK General Election. A toolkit from Oxfam, CAFOD, Christian Aid and Send My Friend to School to help young people engage with the General Election on the issues that matter for them.
  • Understanding people's experience of migration - Teaching an learning resources from the British Red Cross. A fantastic set of resources for children aged 10-16 developed with people with lived experience of seeing sanctuary. Highly recommended.
Other Opportunities & Helpful Resources
  • Barnardo's Refugee Family Helpline. (Provides emotional and practical support as well as advice and signposting).
  • Barnardo's Therapeutic Support Service - Referral Page. (Free therapeutic support to children and young people aged 21 and under living in England under the Ukraine and Afghanistan pathways.)
  • Strategies and Guidance to Support EAL Learners in Intervention Groups by the Bell Foundation.
  • 'Welcoming and Integrating Refugee Children into School' Article (SecEd)
  • TRACTION (Teaching Race, Belonging, Empire and Migration) Toolkit for Secondary Teachers.
  • Research Request: Improving the wellbeing and inclusion of students with refugee experience in secondary schools.
  • Call for London School Partners - Partners in Learning Programme by Cities for Children. A free programme to enhance socio-emotional learning for children from refugee backgrounds.
Collective Action Ideas

This year’s Refugee Week is ‘Home’ and we all want to think of our hometowns as welcoming and safe places where people are kind to one another. Highlighting these positive stories, whilst thinking about the ways in which we can help to foster this culture, is a powerful way to engage those who might otherwise not be supportive of welcoming initiatives.

Find below a few activity ideas to explore with this:

  • Celebrate how people seeking sanctuary make your local area home

Showcase how your school's new arrivals have enriched our communities and made them the places we call home by creating a public display or exhibition or speaking with local press to share simple stories of friendship, welcome and kindness.

Students can talk about what they like best about your local area having finished their long, difficult journeys. Welcoming students can talk about how their peers have enriched your school - with their friendship, learning about the language they speak or their culture, or even their amazing right-kick in football!

  • Help new arrivals feel at home

Work with your local refugee organisation to make new arrivals feel at home in your community. You might write and collect letters of welcome, compile welcome ‘packs’ to help people settle into their new lives or simply make it clear new arrivals are welcome by creating a public display.

Whatever you do, make sure to take photos or videos and share on social media @SchsofSanctuary!

Together, we are building a culture of welcome. If you understand the vital importance of Schools of Sanctuary, please dig deep and help us to spread welcome in schools during these very challenging times. Click here to donate. Thank you.

City of Sanctuary UK is a registered charity, no. 1184613.

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