EAL and School of Sanctuary
We are delighted to have received the School of Sanctuary award!! (Sept 2023)
What is a School of Sanctuary?
A School of Sanctuary is a school that is committed to being safe and welcoming to all, especially those seeking sanctuary. This includes 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 which helps its pupils, staff and wider community to 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 place for all to feel safe, seen, supported and included.
What we do?
We strive to ensure that we provide opportunities to learn, understand and take actions to support those who are seeking sanctuary. We will embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion throughout school life and the curriculum. We aim to share these values across the whole school and the wider local community.
What is our pledge?
“We support the ‘City of Sanctuary’ vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We endorse the City of Sanctuary Charter, and agree to act in accordance with City of Sanctuary values and apply the network principles within our work (as far as our specific context enables us to).
We recognise the contribution of people seeking sanctuary. Sanctuary seekers are welcomed, included and supported within our context. We expect our branches or local groups (if any) to support their local City of Sanctuary group if one exists, and will facilitate contact between them and their local City of Sanctuary group.”
What have we been doing in school?
Refugee Week
This year for refugee we came together as a whole school to remind ourselves of the important work we do welcoming children and families into our communities. In Year 6 we watched a live broadcast from a child’s perspective of what it is like to be a refugee, live from Jordan. Across school we have designed welcoming leaflets and posters to ensure everyone knows they are welcome at Kenton Bar.
“Diversitree”
The children in Year 3 have been working with the artist Sue Loughlin to create a sculpture welcoming all children, from all walks of life, into our school. The colours represent the diversity of our school and the wish tags detail our hopes for each other. At Kenton Bar Primary school we are proud that we are all equal and there are ‘no outsiders’.
No Outsiders
As a school we continue to teach the equality act through the ‘No Outsider’ scheme. Each year group studies a range of books that educate them about the protected characteristics in an age-appropriate way.
Celebrating our differences
During multi-cultural week, we looked at the countries that most families across school originate from and each class chose one to learn about. At the end of the week, we performed a show case for our families and each other, to help learn about the rich cultures we have in school! We had a fantastic week and feel so much more knowledgeable about our friends and their heritage. We have created a display linked to each country as a reminder.
N.E.S.T - Connectors Project
Since 2021 we have been delighted to work with N.E.S.T. who come into school twice each week to deliver additional reading sessions to children who are refugees and have English as an additional language. They also run lunch time clubs and afterschool clubs, as well as providing additional support to families.
Useful Websites and Information
In school we work closely with NEST who support some of our children who are new to the country.
North East Solidarity Teaching (northeastsolidarityandteaching.com)
Project offer updated (cityofsanctuary.org)
West End Refugee Services (WERS)
Information about Kenton Food bank can be found on Facebook (1) Facebook