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.

How to become a School of Sanctuary.

EMAS are local leads and will support your school to work towards the award. Our programme of FREE Schools of Sanctuary activities are outlined in our local offer and include:

• Introductory online meeting for all schools who are interested on Tuesday 1 October 2024 3.30pm-5pm
• In-person local network meetings: 6 November 2024, 18 March 2025 and 26 June 2025 from 4pm-5pm (venue to be confirmed)

Contact EMAS Teacher Team emasteachers@coventry.gov.uk for more information and guidance or to sign up to join our sessions.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary. Take positive action to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within your school and the wider community. Share your vision and achievements - be proud!

• The 2023/24 Schools of Sanctuary Launch is not to be missed! In this webinar Megan Greenwood, from City of Sanctuary, UK outlined the minimum criteria and process, shared some exciting upcoming opportunities and the latest resources, and gave some tips about how to move forward in a time efficient and meaningful way. Watch the recording. There will be an updated version in September 2024. 
• The Schools of Sanctuary Website and Schools of Sanctuary Resource Pack have all the information you need and plenty of practical suggestions, resources and ideas to make your school a place of welcome and awareness. We  have also started a Coventry Padlet to share resources and share ideas.