Belton Moorlands school aims for sanctuary status

This is the message from a school in the borough of Great Yarmouth that is aiming to be recognised for its positive ethos.

Moorlands Church of England Primary Academy, in Belton and part of the Dioceses of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, is working towards gaining School of Sanctuary status.

Becoming a School of Sanctuary means that it will be committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive culture for all students and families in the community.

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In order to achieve this status, the school has had several events including an assembly where teachers Jade Larkin and Jon Biddle told the story of Omran, a six-year-old Syrian refugee. 

The school held a Day of Sanctuary event Picture: DNEAT (Image: DNEAT)

They were told how when he fled his homeland he had to pack only a few items in his backpack.

They then talked about what they might take with them if they were faced with a similar situation.

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To follow this up Moorlands hosted a non-uniform day to celebrate the School of Sanctuary work and asked children and staff to bring in a bag containing five items that they would take with them if they had to leave home.

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Mrs Larkin, School of Sanctuary lead, said: “This was a real success.

"It was amazing to see how much thought the children had put into the items they had brought in and to hear them explain why they'd chosen each item. 

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"I'm so proud of the Moorlands pupils. They've shown fantastic empathy and a real understanding of children who are facing difficult situations.

"It is lovely to know how much they all care about other people."

Moorlands completed the "Day of Sanctuary" with a whole school assembly where the children brought their items to the hall.

Some were then asked to share some of the items they had chosen and why they had selected them.