I was thrilled to see that you have signed the organisational pledge on behalf of your school and I hope this means you are keen to become a School of Sanctuary. As signing the pledge is one of the eight minimum criteria, you are now well on your way already!

Introduction 

Part of our mission statement is We will teach them to live, love and learn in the way Jesus taught us." This mission is what we are all about. We show love to all the pupils that walk through the doors, it does not matter who they are, where they come from. We see children, their families and our staff as individuals that God made. We know that they have all been given a unique set of talents and ensure that these can be found and used within their time at St William’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery.  

1. The school raises awareness about the experiences of people seeking safety in the UK amongst school staff and governors and builds staff expertise to effectively support new arrivals, particularly those seeking safety.

At St William’s we have a very dedicated team of staff that go above and beyond, not only for the children, but their families also.  

Although we are a small school, we all come together every day for Celebration of the Word. These are led by members of staff, children and the headteacher on a rota basis. Within each of these, a piece of scripture is read and then explored in an age-appropriate way. At the end of each session, an action (a mission) is given to the children. These could be based on the theme of ‘Love one another’, ‘Praying for people less fortunate than ourselves’, ‘welcoming others’ or it may be reflecting on a particular event. Through these Celebration of the Word services, many of the children become aware of people that are less fortunate and those that we need to welcome with not only open arms, but with open hearts and open minds too. Feedback from the parents when they left was of relief and thankfulness that we had welcomed and helped them in their time of need.  

Every aspect of our school life is inclusive; all children are invited to every club or event that is age appropriate for them. School trips are heavily subsidised so that all children are able to access them. Parents know there is an open-door policy, where they can come and speak to the headteacher if they are not able to contribute and that this is shared in strictest confidence. Parents have used this in the past and have been thankful. 

As a school community means the world to us. We attend as many different community events as we can, but we also welcome the community into our school for different events too. This year we have held a range of different events including shows, luncheons and community events and opened our doors to the wider community.