Double celebration as Stowlawn becomes city’s latest School of Sanctuary

Stowlawn Primary School has double cause for celebration – becoming the city's latest School of Sanctuary and gaining the Primary Science Quality Mark.

It received the School of Sanctuary award from the City of Sanctuary UK movement after showing that it extends a warm welcome to everyone, and that children, staff and the wider school community understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary.

Schools can apply to become a School of Sanctuary by demonstrating to City of Sanctuary UK that they have implemented three key principles – that they help people understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration, that they create a safe and inclusive culture of welcome for everyone, and that they share their values and activities with their local communities.

Headteacher Kate Charles said: "Our successful School of Sanctuary award was led by Stacey Whitehouse and reflects the Wolverhampton vision of being a city of Sanctuary.

"Our aim is to ensure our school ethos and curriculum reflects and welcomes the diverse community we have at Stowlawn – and we were delighted to hear that, of the three accreditations our assessor has been involved in, ours was the best she had seen."

Meanwhile, the school has also recently received the Primary Science Quality Mark, with the work led by staff member Sarah Bedworth. Mrs Charles added: "The Primary Science Quality Mark reflects the high-quality teaching and learning of our science curriculum and the sustained improvement in the way in which science is planned and taught across the whole school, and so we are delighted to have received it."

Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: "I am really pleased that Stowlawn Primary School has achieved these two accolades. We are encouraging all schools and early years settings across Wolverhampton to become Schools of Sanctuary as part of our wider City of Sanctuary programme, in doing so creating a safe and inclusive culture of welcome for everyone.

"Meanwhile, primary schools have an important role to ensure that children understand the world of science, and schools like Stowlawn which have achieved a Primary Science Quality Mark have demonstrated a significant commitment to science teaching and learning – which is arguably more important now than ever before."

The Schools of Sanctuary programme is part of the City of Sanctuary UK movement, committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for refugees seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. For more information, please visit https://cityofsanctuary.org/.

STOWLAWN SCHOOL OF SANCTUARY: Stowlawn Primary School has been named a School of Sanctuary. Celebrating are pupils with, left to right, Stacey Whitehouse, the school's Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Lead, and Claire Sumner, the City of Wolverhampton Council's City of Sanctuary Lead, and Councillor Chris Burden, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education.

STOWLAWN QUALITY MARK: Pupils Abhinav Singh and Ruby Bolton celebrate Stowlawn Primary School receiving the Primary Science Quality Mark with Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education and the school's Science Lead Sarah Bedworth.