Schools of Sanctuary

Layfield Primary School is a School of Sanctuary.

A School of Sanctuary is a school that is committed to being a safe and welcoming place for those seeking sanctuary.

It is a space for those whose lives were in danger in their own country, who have troubles at home or are just looking for a space they can feel safe.

A School of Sanctuary is a school that helps 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.

We are proud to be working towards becoming a School of Sanctuary. We are committed ensuring our pupils learn what it means to be seeking sanctuary. Our broad and balanced curriculum ensures that there are opportunities to address these themes and give our students the opportunity to explore and develop their ideas.

We are a welcoming and inclusive school with an established welcome and induction policy that enables quick integration and informs all staff of student needs.

Celebrating the many different backgrounds and cultures of the pupils at our school is key part of the ethos of our school. Our work in this area links directly to our focus on children’s rights and our Level 1 Rights Respecting Schools Award.

We are developing ways to share the School of Sanctuary vision with the wider community. Our governors are fully supportive and take an active role in this work and we regularly update our parents about our work.

Find out what is happening in our area on the Tees Valley of Sanctuary website.

Other sources of support or information:

Justice First http://justicefirst.org.uk/ are a group who support people who are seeking safety in the UK.

Refugee Week http://refugeeweek.org.uk/ have information about how to support refugees in the UK and local charity/fundraising projects.

The British Red Cross http://www.redcross.org.uk/en/What-we-do/Refugee-support have lots of information about refugee support.