Our school has now been given a School of Sanctuary Award: we are incredibly proud of this accolade and our welcoming school. 

Examples of our recent art project from Welcome Week

What is a School of Sanctuary? 

A School of Sanctuary is a school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for all, especially those seeking a place of sanctuary. This could be people whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a safe space. A School of Sanctuary is a place that promotes a welcoming culture and a place of safety to those seeing sanctuary, including asylum-seeking and refugee families. It is a school that builds empathy and awareness of such issues and encourages children, parents, staff and the wider community to welcome those seeking sanctuary. 

A School of Sanctuary helps its school community to understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and to extend a welcome to everyone as equal, valued members of the community. It is a school that is proud to be a place of safety and inclusion for all.

Why is a School of Sanctuary important?

• To promote and develop a sense of safety and inclusion for all.
• To understand what it means to seek sanctuary. 
• To provide learning opportunities around human rights, social justice and diversity.
• To increase student voice and promote active citizenship. 

Becoming a School of Sanctuary

There are three simple principles to being a School of Sanctuary:

1. LEARN about what it means to be seeking sanctuary.

2. TAKE POSITIVE ACTION to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within school and the wider community.

3. SHARE your vision and achievements - be proud!

Everyone at Regent Farm strives to make people feel welcome and treat each other with respect. We offer anyone in need support, advice and a friendly smile. The staff work hard to ensure everyone feels safe and their well-being is always our number one priority: this award it a way of celebrating and strengthening all that we do.

We also help educate children so they understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the difficulties people seeking asylum and refugees face. We will be looking at opportunities within our curriculum to really strengthen this knowledge, to ensure that children understand and take actions around the themes of human rights as well as diversity, inclusion, refuge and migration. We will also be taking part in National Refugee Week in June and completing a whole school art project. 

• School of Sanctuary 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.”