Bolton's First Secondary School to Win Schools of Sanctuary National Award
Tuesday, 28th May 2024
We are proud to announce Harper Green School has been awarded the Schools of Sanctuary National Award, becoming Bolton's first secondary school to achieve this. This award recognises our commitment to being a welcoming place for those seeking safety.
In September, Harper Green School proudly signed the City of Sanctuary organisation pledge to become a School of Sanctuary. To achieve this prestigious national award, we demonstrated our commitment in several key areas:
- Creating a Welcoming Environment: Harper Green School is a place of welcome for all.
- Educational Commitment: We educate our students about the reasons behind forced displacement.
- Recognition of Enrichment: We acknowledge that the UK is enriched by the arrival of new individuals.
- Inclusive Support: We ensure students from all backgrounds feel seen, supported, and included.
Among our core values at Harper Green School is "Accepting"—we are an inclusive community that welcomes the ideas, beliefs, and values of everyone. Inclusivity is more than just a goal; it is a commitment. We ensure that all students, especially those facing unique challenges, are fully integrated into school life. This includes encouraging participation in extracurricular activities, providing essential resources like dictionaries, and offering peer mentoring through our buddy system.
Our dedication to academic and personal development is evident in our tailored interventions. These include English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, qualifications like the Step Up to English Silver and Gold, and optional extra languages GCSEs.
Harper Green School is devoted to fostering an environment where every student feels valued and supported. This dedication is essential given the ongoing global conflicts. When asylum-seeker students joined our community, we recognised the need to support them comprehensively. The Schools of Sanctuary initiative magnified our efforts and provided further guidance on how we could collectively improve our support.
We have undertaken numerous fundraising activities to assist those in need, both within and outside our school. We celebrate various religious events, such as Diwali and Ramadan, and this year, we hosted our first Community Iftar. We offer inclusive extracurricular activities, including the Young Interpreters programme and various sports clubs, ensuring diverse participation. Additionally, we collaborate with external organisations, inviting speakers with lived experiences as asylum seekers and engaging students with historical lessons through projects like the Holocaust survivor art project. Our new librarian has also organised many exciting events to stimulate our students' minds. The list of our inclusive actions is extensive.
Mrs Fercsi, EAL Intervention Coordinator, said, "Students have connected remarkably well with this project. Our Inclusion and Diversity group has expanded to include Schools of Sanctuary ambassadors. They were eager to share with the judging panel the many positive actions we have taken to help others, including those fleeing violence and persecution. This award reflects our deep commitment to providing a safe space, and I am incredibly proud to have achieved this on behalf of everyone involved."
Find out more about Schools of Sanctuary at https://schools.cityofsanctuary.org/.
