DNEAT MAT News

Moorlands Church of England Primary Academy in Belton, part Dioceses of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT), is working towards becoming a recognised ‘School of Sanctuary’.

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.

In order to achieve this status, the school has had several events including an assembly where Mrs Larkin and Mr Biddle told the story of Omran, a six-year-old Syrian refugee.  They were told how when he fled his homeland, he had to pack only a few items in his back pack. They then talked about what they might take with them if they were faced with a similar situation.

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

Mrs Larkin, our 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.  ‘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.

You can find out more about the School of Sanctuary initiative here: https://schools.cityofsanctuary.org