Schools of Sanctuary
Welcome !
Bignold are very proud to have been one of the first schools recognised as a School of Sanctuary in Norwich.
We are part of the City of Sanctuary movement which holds the vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and a place that is proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
The Schools of Sanctuary initiative celebrates the good practice of schools who welcome asylum seeking and refugee families into their school community and foster a culture of welcome and inclusion for all. Today there are more than 300 Schools of Sanctuary in Wales and Ireland as well as many English cities and towns.
You can find further information here- https://www.norfolksos.co.uk/our-story
A Day of Welcome 2021
A Day of Welcome is a day of solidarity and learning in schools that aims to build a culture of welcome and understanding for refugees and asylum seekers.
At our school children regularly participate in lessons and discussions that support their understanding of inclusion but on Friday 11th June 2021 we worked closely with our families to raise awareness of our desire to create a fully welcoming and inclusive community at our school. The focus of the day was identifying what it meant to 'belong' and so children and adults were invited to wear a top, badge, hat or sash that showed something they belong to. Children also engaged in lots of learning experiences such as sharing stories about refugees; comparing their lives to the experiences of refugees and thinking about how they could make the school feel more welcoming.
Schools of Sanctuary at home
Norfolk Library Service has a wealth of books available for you to borrow and share with your child at home:
Support for you
There are a number of agencies in Norfolk offering support for refugees and asylum seekers-
- https://newroutes.org.uk/projects/
- https://smp.eelga.gov.uk/refugees/
- https://englishplus.org.uk/
- https://niyp.org.uk/
- https://www.bridgeplus.org.uk/
- https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/how-we-support-refugees
Here is a selection of the wonderful artwork that the pupils of Bignold created for 'A day of Welcome'.
We are very much a school where every day is a day of welcome!
