Schools of Sanctuary

Coventry became a City of Sanctuary in 2011 to join a group of cities and towns in Central England that holds the vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.

Schools of Sanctuary is an initiative to celebrate the good practice of schools that welcome asylum seeking and refugee families into their school community and foster a culture of welcome and inclusion for all. Schools of Sanctuary offers a way to engage sanctuary seekers and families with their local communities and educate children and teachers about the human right to sanctuary. The aim is to create a safe environment that includes everybody in a school, regardless of people’s background, ethnicity, faith or gender, as stated in the Equality Act 2010. Schools also have a statutory duty to promote Community Cohesion, which is now deeply intertwined with each aspect of the new Ofsted framework.

A School of Sanctuary is a school committed to be a safe and welcoming space for all. It is a school demonstrating a whole-school approach to support and understand those who may be seeking sanctuary. A School of Sanctuary is a school helping its students, staff and wider community 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 school that is proud to be a place of safety and inclusion for all.

Schools that demonstrate this attitude of welcome and inclusion can apply for an award from the City of Sanctuary movement. Evidence is collected through the three processes of Learn, Embed and Share. Coventry Schools of Sanctuary (SoS) is part of the fast-growing, national stream of Schools of Sanctuary.

EMAS and our local Schools of Sanctuary Network can support schools in preparing and applying for the Schools of Sanctuary award, working with schools to increase understanding of why people become refugees, the realities of life as an asylum seeker or refugee and the contributions which new migrants make to the local community. 

Take positive action to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within your school and the wider community and grow tolerant, empathetic global citizens for the future and find out more about the application process today!

Contact Leanne Cameron leanne.cameron@coventry.gov.uk for more information and guidance.