School That Matters: School of Sanctuary
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
For the last two years we have been working towards being a School of Sanctuary (SoS). Last week we received our assessment visit and this week it was confirmed that we have been awarded SoS status. The feedback from the panel is incredibly positive and real testament to the huge collaborative effort between staff and pupils to achieve this award. Of course the award itself is not the point, it is the recognition of our practice, inclusion and care that really matters. This shows that we clearly live out our mission in all sorts of ways.
The panel described visiting our school as an ‘honour’ and that our pupils were ‘remarkable’ showing ‘maturity, empathy and insight.’ They praised the strong leadership of this work and our ‘outstanding commitment to creating a genuine sense of welcome and belonging for every member of its community.’ They also noted that this work is rooted in our faith and Catholic mission and well embedded across the curriculum in all sorts of ways that allow young people to engage with difficult ideas and topics. They also commented that our pupils feel ‘feel comfortable and safe celebrating all cultures and languages in the school.’ Particular credit and praise must go to Mrs Monaghan who co-ordinates our provision for young people for whom English is not a first language and who has led our School of Sanctuary application so well.
On Tuesday a group of pupils attended the Salford Childrens’ Book Awards, with two of our pupils (Raymond and Joan) on stage introducing one of the authors – you can read their speech inside. We saw some other significant events in our school. These included the trip to Madrid, Year 7 transition, Year 10 work experience, college ‘taster’ days and most recently our Annual Awards Ceremonies. All of these will be covered in more detail in next week’s newsletter.
Our theme this week has been leadership, particularly the courage required to be ‘servant leaders’. The School of Sanctuary award exemplifies precisely this kind of service by pupils and staff.
Ben Davis,
Headteacher
