SCHOOL OF SANCTUARY
Bishop Vaughan Catholic School is proud to be a School of Sanctuary and part of a national network of over 380 primary and secondary schools, nurseries and sixth forms all committed to creating a culture of welcome for refugees and people seeking asylum.
Driven by teachers, school staff, parents, governors and community groups, this network supports the thousands of young people seeking sanctuary in the UK, raises awareness of the issues facing people in the asylum system, challenges misconceptions and builds social cohesion.
Here at Bishop Vaughan, we fully support the City of Sanctuary values of inclusiveness, openness, participation, inspiration and integrity; to demonstrate this we have signed the City of Sanctuary pledge of support, committing the school to acknowledge and support the City of Sanctuary charter and organisational values.
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Our award as a School of Sanctuary followed a year-long accreditation process and it culminated in an award ceremony on 16th June 2023 at Swansea Arena. A section of the school choir sang three beautiful choral items to close the awards ceremony and we share the audio clip for one of these items here.
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This piece is called ‘Siyahamba’ and it is written partly in the Zulu language, with its chorus translating to ‘We are marching in the light of God.’