FE Colleges should use the embed process to ensure that they have put in place policies and practices that meet the needs of students who are seeking sanctuary, recognise the identities of all the students in the school community and develop a safe and inclusive culture of welcome that benefits everybody, including anyone in their community seeking sanctuary. At the heart of these efforts should be opportunities to ensure students with sanctuary seeking backgrounds have opportunities to be heard and lead the development of relevant activities. These elements should be embedded within the fabric of college life and reflected in the college’s value and ethos.

This page outlines different resources, advice and guidance to meet the embed criteria.

3) A dedicated member of staff/team of staff as a contact point for sanctuary
students. This provision should be communicated to the students, be easily
accessible and the staff member(s) must be appropriately trained.

Questions to ask and answer:

1. Who is your sanctuary lead? What is the remit of their position?
2. How is this person introduced to students seeking sanctuary?
3. How will students know how to find them? What is the purpose of the space in which they are based?
4. What CPD opportunities are offered to this person?
5. What resources does this person have?

4) If your college has students from a sanctuary seeking background, ensure that
there is a plan in place for a holistic assessment of their needs and an enhanced
induction. This should include a language assessment and an assessment of
previous education and gaps in education as well as interests and aspirations. Try
to find ways in which the young person can be supported to develop their interests
even if this is via an extra-curricular programme. NB: You may need to use an interpreter for this. Also ensure that any responsible adults in the young person’s life are involved in this process so that they can continue to support and complement the work of the college.

1. What is your induction process and schedule?
2. What does your assessment process look like?
3. What partners / service providers can you signpost to for additional support?
4. What can you offer students on starting at the college to facilitate their attendance at college and support their full participation in college activities? Think about travel, food and equipment.

6) Recognition of and participation in the annual Refugee Week or other
annual/regular celebratory events which highlight the contribution of people
seeking sanctuary and migrants to the UK.

• Refugee Week

7) Active engagement with the wider community including people seeking sanctuary. Where relevant, this may also include the local City of Sanctuary network or refugee support organisations or local authority.

1. How do you engage with local refugee support organisations?
2. How do you seek to promote sanctuary, compassion and understanding beyond the college campus?
3. Which organisations do you partner with in order to better support students seeking sanctuary and signpost to relevant services?

8) The college should demonstrate how it will continue to develop and sustain a
culture of welcome beyond the award and ideally, this should be linked to or made
clear in policy documents and induction for new staff. This strategy should also
consider how the college will widen participation to courses and projects to those
seeking sanctuary.

1. What mention of ‘sanctuary’ is included on your college website/ prospectus/ staff and student induction documents/ job adverts / development plans, etc.

9) Wherever possible, ensure that people seeking sanctuary are involved in the
development of your plans and actions and are on relevant committees.

1. Who is involved in your sanctuary steering group?
2. How do you capture the perspectives of students to drive college efforts and improvement?
3. How do you support students from sanctuary seeking backgrounds to feel empowered and take ownership of sanctuary efforts, both in college and beyond?