Dear friends,
As we move into spring, we look forward to the longer days and warmer weather of the spring and summer terms. These terms will bring important announcements which will affect many children in our communities, as well as opportunities to continue to build momentum behind our shared efforts to foster belonging in school and in our communities.
We are currently waiting on the final details of the government's amendments to 'Earned Settlement' which will affect pathways to long term residency and citizenship for thousands of children and families across the UK.
These changes not only affect how long they might wait to have secure long term right to live in the UK, but may also have implications on their access to vital support and progression to further and higher education. In the meantime, children and families face uncertainty and worry - make sure to check in with those without indefinite leave to remain to see how they are doing, and keep updated as the changes are announced so you can best support them. We will continue to keep you in the loop.
As we think of the long-term future of migrant children, our friends at the Bell Foundation have developed two bespoke free webinars orientated to requests from our networks. It can be easy to assume that children who arrived in the UK a few years ago, and are now confident conversationalists, don't need as much support with English - but let's not limit their attainment or progression by failing to offer the support they still need. Join the upcoming one-off Bell Foundation webinars on 'Sustaining progress: moving beyond early acquisition of English' for both primary and secondary settings to learn practical strategies for ongoing provision and practice.
Finally, as we know misinformation about and hostility towards people seeking safety remains prevalent, we are grateful for friends at Thoughtful, the national charity for Philosophy for Children who have made their Challenging Conversations resource and toolkit focused on migration freely available to the schools in our network. Suitable for both primary and secondary classes, this will help you navigate thoughtful whole-class discussions on this important subject.
Read on for details of our most newly awarded schools, along with upcoming events and trainings, new resources and suggested activities for this half term.
Kind regards,
Megan, Schools of Sanctuary Programme Manager
megan@cityofsanctuary.org | 
