Benfield School is hard at work and on their way to gaining school of sanctuary status: a recognised programme that identifies the school as one that fosters a culture of belonging, welcome and solidarity for those seeking safety.
There are more than 415 schools across the whole of the UK who have been awarded with the School of Sanctuary Status in recognition of their efforts. As part of their journey, students from Benfield School took part in the North East Festival of Languages where they learnt about the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Students were inspired to get involved and set about making Peace Cranes which will be shown in regional exhibitions in Newcastle and Durham in April. Some will even be displayed in the Hiroshima Peace Museum as part of the childrens’ display.
In addition, some of our pupils took part in a European Day of Languages competition where they had to make posters showing some of the languages spoken in our classrooms. Arafa A, Brisilda O, Lorena D all received a commended entry award with Ruqayah A, and Noor A both achieving prize winning entries. You can find out more about European Day of Languages here.
Benfield School is proud of our inclusivity and aims to be a welcoming environment for young people from all backgrounds. Our NEAT value of inclusivity forms part of the core of what we do here at Benfield School and we’ll continue working towards achieving School of Sanctuary status as part of our commitment to inclusivity.