Review of the School of Sanctuary work done in the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

We started the year putting the final stages to our application for formal “School of Sanctuary” status. Recognising that our school does not have children from Refugee or Asylum Seeking Families at present, seeking the award represents the school preparing for if and when we do, and striving to provide the best school experience for everyone and anyone, whoever they are, wherever they are from and whatever their individual circumstances and needs are. We are all different!

Assemblies ever two weeks explore what sanctuary is all about, using the termly values as our guide. I.e. Kindness, Peace, Forgiveness, Hope, Compassion and Perseverance.

Linking with RVE, Religion, Values and Ethics, we use religious festivals to acknowledge different faiths and promote understanding. As a Church in Wales School, we are inclusive and respectful of all faiths and those who have none. The assemblies exploring Sanctuary also provide a challenge to recognise, in age appropriate ways, the challenges in the world today – war, famine, climate change, poverty and persecution – pressures that make some people decide to try to find sanctuary.

We also aim to have three artistic projects over a year to express the children’s creativity and thinking about Sanctuary.

So, what have we done?

• Prepared for hosting over 50 people from all over the world when they visited Knighton from Cardiff. An act of kindness by the school.
• The Visit to Knighton Church in Wales Primary School by Space For You in Cardiff.
• · In October we focused on community – how community can give sanctuary. We saw pictures of all the clubs in Knighton, the places that provide sanctuary – like sports and, Cubs, as well as remembering special places in Knighton.
• · We submitted our School of Sanctuary application in October.
• · Turning to peace, we looked at all the castles in Wales….Castles are for keeping safe in times of war. I.e. they are places of Sanctuary.
• · We designed welcome bags for new children who come to the school in term time. A local artist made the bags and each class now has one.
• · In January we were visited by the School of Sanctuary assessors, who decided we are already working as a School of Sanctuary. We got the award!
• · Poetry Week: A poet, Cheryl Moskowitz, came explored the children’s ideas about the word “Sanctuary” through words and how to construct words into poems. The support of the Friends of Knighton Library and West Pennine Trucks meant we could print a “Zine” of all the Children’s poems for every family.
• · In Spring term, we discovered the Save The Children Fund Film made to commemorate 2 years of war in Ukraine by Aardman Films. We have watched it a few times and talked about how people can be welcomed. https://www.aardman.com/short-form-commercials/save-the-children-home/
• · And we did our “Where in the World” survey, aiming to discover all the places in the world that families have been to, or come from. We found out that 122 different countries have been visited by our families – From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. There is a display in school showing how adventurous we are.
• · We also worked out together that finding forgiveness is hard and needs courage. Courage to forgive someone who has been nasty.
• · We explored hope on St Patrick’s day. His story of kidnap and escape continues for some children around the world today. And we heard the story of Andrew, a 9 year old boy who escaped the war in South Sudan and ended up in Shrewsbury, 8 years later, recognised as a refugee and now studying.
• · In April we explored migration in nature. What makes birds migrate and find a place to have their young in safety? The same things that makes humans move, as they have done throughout history.
• · This work finished with the Monday in Refugee Week, 16th June, with the whole school working together to make a sculpture of migrating birds and the Red Kite. Local artist Ciara Lewis led the day, with other local artists. Refugee week’s theme was, “The Power of Community” which was demonstrated by donations
• and loans of equipment for the day by local people and Mark Coxill, Underhill Stables and by using the Carnival Committee marquee. Local volunteers, were essential to make this happen.
• · The children made their own handheld birds and in 4 groups made the feathers and stuck them on the different bird templates. Red Kite, Arctic Tern, Swift and Whooper Swan. The migrating birds from the east, south and north, joined the Red Kite in Wales. A nest was built for them to share. Sanctuary. The children each took their bird on a migration across the school field, crossing obstacles representing, ice, rain clouds, seas and a volcano.
• · Our last assembly reviewed the year and finished with fun. Recognising our differences by standing up if you are, tall, small, have long hair, short hair, were born in Wales, England or somewhere else. Noticing our differences helps accept and celebrate them. We are all different!