A College of Sanctuary supports asylum seekers and refugees. College of Sanctuary is an award from the City of Sanctuary UK.
The colleges create a culture of welcome and a safe environment for people seeking sanctuary.
It also means the following:
In June 2023, Leeds City College became only the fourth college in the region to be named as a College of Sanctuary.
The college was found to have taken positive action to create a culture of welcome, safety and inclusion.
Ann Marie Spry, Vice Principal for Adults at Luminate Education Group, said, “As a group, we pride ourselves on being a safe and welcoming place for all, especially those seeking sanctuary.
“We have worked hard to embed a culture of belonging, addressing barriers to refugees and asylum seekers and helping them to achieve their potential in an understanding and welcoming environment.”
Staff at the college held listening sessions with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students to better understand their college experience, including what they need and what they don’t want from college.
A training programme has also been introduced for staff that explores common misconceptions about asylum seekers and refugees.
Sara Trewhitt, Director of Operations at City of Sanctuary, said, “We had the pleasure of visiting Leeds City College, and it was so wonderful to hear from such a wide range of staff and students.
“They were so inspiring, and it was encouraging to see so much aspiration and dedication in our discussions.”
Leeds City College takes part in the national Refugee Week festival every year and hosts a variety of events and activities for staff, students and the wider community.
Refugee Week has provided our staff and student community with a powerful opportunity to engage in everything from hosting international days to joining, or launching, campaigns. The week also allows staff and students to come together to share their experiences and the challenges they’ve had to overcome.
To be recognised as a College of Sanctuary, colleges must submit an online application showcasing the work they have done against the following themes:
Learn: Colleges help their students, staff and wider community learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration.
Embed: Colleges are committed to creating a safe and inclusive culture of welcome that benefits everybody, including anyone in their community seeking sanctuary.
Share: Colleges share their values and activities with their local communities.
A sanctuary seeker is a refugee or asylum seeker. An asylum seeker is someone who has fled a country due to war, persecution or being unsafe and makes a formal application for asylum in another country. A refugee is someone who has also left their country because they were unsafe but has been granted leave to remain.
You need to be in the UK for 6 months before you can join a course. This is due to the restrictions on funding.
If you are applying for English (ESOL) courses, go to these pages:
16-18:
https://leedscitycollege.ac.uk/courses/esol-16-18/
19+:
https://leedscitycollege.ac.uk/courses/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages-19/
If you have English Language qualifications, then please browse our directory of courses:
https://leedscitycollege.ac.uk/courses
If you are unsure about your funding rights, please take a look at this webpage:
https://www.reuk.org/fefaq
You can speak to someone when you apply for a course and they will be able to help you.
The Student Life team is available to support you with welfare (housing, immigration advice, money problems), careers (support with getting a job), wellbeing (support with mental health). Speak to a member of staff when you start college about the support you need.
If you are at college for more than 5 hours a week, you will be able to get a bus pass (if you live more than 1.5 miles away) and meals for the days that you are in college.
