School of Sanctuary
St Mary's Lewisham was the first school in London to become a School of Sanctuary in June 2021 and our award was renewed in June 2025 (click here to read the report).
This award recognises our work supporting and empowering students, parents/carers and the local community to take action in improving the experiences of people who are seeking sanctuary in the UK.
A School of Sanctuary:
- Is a place that fosters a culture of welcome and safety for people seeking sanctuary, including asylum seeking and refugee families.
- Educates the whole school community about the human right to sanctuary and identifies practical means for schools to demonstrate that commitment.
- Builds empathy and intercultural awareness through promoting the voices and contributions of people seeking sanctuary, encouraging an understanding of the experiences of displaced people and helping to combat stereotypes.
Some of our recent successes include:
- Working with Citizens UK to abolish the £1,102 child citizenship fee for families that are unable to afford it
- After years of organising, our campaigning with Citizens UK and other UK schools and charities ensured that all children who are eligible, regardless of parents' immigration status, can claim Free School Meals
- We obtained funding to offer FREE English classes for parents, carers and members of the local community.
The Separated Child Foundation
As part of their Courageous Advocacy Project, Year 3 are supporting The Separated Child Foundation, a charitable trust that offers emotional, social, financial and physical support to separated children and young people in Britain up to the age of 21.
Families kindly donated toiletries which pupils sorted into individual wash bags, ready to be offered to children upon their arrival.
Rainbow Club
The School Council organised a collection during Refugee Week. These were small items such as colouring pencils, activity books and small games to donate to Rainbow Club, a Saturday school attended by refugees and funded by AFRIL.
Kieran, the Headteacher from that school, came along to collect the donations and to talk to the children about how the school works. We found out that 90 children attend the school each week, and that as well as music and drama the pupils at Rainbow Club also go on day trips and recently had a sports day!
A big thank you to all who donated - all the items will be distributed to local refugee children to keep them busy over the summer months.
Refugees Global Assembly
St Mary's took part in a very special International event as we joined a live online global assembly to learn more about child refugees. Thousands of children took part in the event. Children were interviewed as they shared their experiences and there were live reports from refugees camps. This has helped to raise our awareness of these issues in advance of Refugee Week.
