Become an FE College of Sanctuary
Please note that the applicant cohort runs from June to May every year. Colleges that confirm their intention to be part of the applicant cohort receive tailored support throughout their journey. Unfortunately, due to extremely limited capacity we are unable to work 1:1 with colleges outside this cohort and are unable to manage appraisals at other times in the year. If you are interested in being part of an applicant cohort, make sure to be signed up to the FE Colleges of Sanctuary newsletter to be informed about opportunities to confirm your interest.
STEP ONE
Sign the City of Sanctuary organisational pledge, committing the college to acknowledge and support the City of Sanctuary charter and organisational values and upholding our vision of welcome and belonging in the UK. This takes less than two minutes and is one of the minimum criteria.
Share your pledge and announce your intention to achieve the Further Education College of Sanctuary award to your wider college community, inviting everyone to get involved.
STEP TWO
Once you sign the pledge, you will be contacted by the FE College of Sanctuary Team in the coming weeks who will let you know about the next applicant cohorts to work towards the FE College of Sanctuary award and introduce you to any local members of our networks.
Make sure to subscribe to the FE College of Sanctuary newsletter, review all the resources on the website and circulate relevant materials with other people in the college.
STEP THREE
Review what your college already has in place or has done to date to meet the award criteria: we advise using the FE College of Sanctuary audit tool to help you reflect on relevant areas of practice and identify areas for improvement. This effort should be an opportunity to recognise strengths but also refine and develop college practice. We suggest making a cross-college and departmental working group that includes senior leadership to ensure this is a college-wide initiative.
Co-production is at the heart of all sanctuary efforts – this means centering the voices and contributions of those directly affected by these issues, people with lived experience of seeking safety. FE Colleges should begin this journey by working with learners and staff with a (forced) migration background and local refugee sector organisations to understand what they think are your strengths, how you can develop and how they want to get involved. After this you can begin to put together an action plan for your college’s journey forward making sure this process is reflective, intentional and collaborative. We strongly advise colleges to take at least a whole academic year to work through this action plan.
Throughout this process, applicant colleges will be supported by the FE College of Sanctuary Team who will offer 1:1 advice sessions, informal draft feedback, access to a resource padlet and tailor network meetings to the needs and challenges of the applicant college cohort. Make sure to stay on top of upcoming meetings and deadlines!
As you work towards the application deadlines, make sure to review the key award resources to learn how to best format your application and organise your evidence portfolio and see examples. Developing your application shouldn’t be a time consuming or painful process – make sure to review these resources to help you pull this together as easily and effectively as possible.
STEP FOUR
Submit a completed application form and evidence portfolio by the deadline. We ask for a draft first, and then colleges will be invited to submit a final application when the application is strong enough for review. The application should be no more than 12 pages maximum.
On submission of the application, make sure you City of Sanctuary UK is set up as a supplier to enable the transfer of the accreditation fee upon being informed about a successful award. Contact our Finance Officer for details on how to transfer this fee.
The final application and evidence portfolio will be reviewed by an appraisal team, consisting of an education expert, someone with lived experience and where possible someone based within your local area. We try to invite representatives of local refugee organisations and those with lived experience based locally who can offer vital insight into your local community context and college efforts. The appraisal team will provide formal written feedback to help you prepare for an appraisal meeting where you can clarify any questions or queries and we can discuss your application further. We aim for this not to be an inspection – but instead another opportunity for different stakeholders and parties to offer expertise, insight and suggestions and supportively and constructively challenge you to further develop your efforts.
STEP FIVE
As soon as possible after the appraisal meeting, we will share the final feedback and award decision. If necessary, this might include some conditions that must be met to receive the award.
Once awarded, transfer the award fee and plan a celebration in collaboration with your learner, local City of Sanctuary group or refugee organisation and wider community. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your achievements and the contributions of your learners but also try and engage other local organisations and individuals in welcoming activities.
Make sure to share your achievements on social media and on the college website and reach out to local press. Review your feedback and continue to implement your sanctuary efforts and develop a plan for renewal in three years.