School of Sanctuary

City 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. People seeking sanctuary are welcomed, included and supported within our context.

We are willing for our organisation’s name to be added to a list of supporters of City of Sanctuary, linked to our website. We are also willing to be contacted by City of Sanctuary with further ideas for how we can turn our support into practical action and to discuss ways we might work together to promote the vision further.”

>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 who are simply just navigating moving to a new area, where everything feels unfamiliar. A School of Sanctuary is a commitment to create a school and community that promotes a welcoming culture and a feeling of safety to all those wishing to attend. This includes 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 everyone

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 pupil voice and promote active citizenship.

School of Sanctuary Policy

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 Benton Park Primary School strives to make people feel welcome and treat each other with respect. We offer anyone in need support, advice and a friendly smile. 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 in its many different forms - including the difficulties people seeking asylum and refugees face. Our curriculum provides a wide variety of opportunities for our children to learn more about important themes such as human rights, as well as diversity, inclusion, refuge and migration.

Welcoming your child to Benton Park

We want to actively 'welcome' all families and children to Benton Park. One of the ways in which we do this is to ask families to complete a 'welcome card'. These help us get to know each individual family; enabling us to understand the things that are important to them.

Activities exemplifying our work linked to school of sanctuary

Moomin House 'welcome' competition

Moomin House Competition June 2025

In June 2025 - linked to Refugee week - children had the chance to design their own 'Moomin House' based upon the original stories by Tove Jansson. In his books Moomin Valley became a place of sanctuary and welcome for all - regardless of where they came from. Here are some of the children's designs...

Diwali celebration

Diwali Celebration Each year, members of our Hindu and Sikh community are invited to host a Diwali celebration. Everyone in our school community is then welcomed to attend an evening of celebration centred around this festival of light. Here are some photos of our celebrations.