School of Sanctuary

At Shaftesbury, we love diversity and learning about other cultures, languages and countries.  We have many children from different cultural backgrounds and from countries all over the world.  Most families are fortunate enough to be able to choose where they live, but for some families this choice is taken away and they have to move.  We understand that some families have to flee violence and persecution and believe we have an important part to play in supporting these people.  

Leicester City is a City of Sanctuary and has signed the City of Sanctuary Charter.  As a City of Sanctuary, their mission is, '...to welcome asylum seekers and refugees in and around Leicester, and support them to rebuild their lives, develop their skills and feel part of the community.'  You can find out more here: Leicester: City of Sanctuary.

Becoming a School of Sanctuary, is playing our part in building a welcoming and inclusive society and that is what we aim to do.  We already have a welcoming ethos in school and we want to be able to share this with other partners.  We have signed the organisational pledge and have submitted a bid to become a School of Sanctuary.

Our school and character values mirror closely the City of Sanctuary values of inclusive, openness, participation, inspire & integrity. We instil these values in our pupils through regular work on our values and by participating in events throughout the school year.  Each year, we support the national Refugee Week in June.