Headteacher and Senior Learning mentor from St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Handsworth, Birmingham, visited Handsworth Welcome with presents of Christmas chocolates for the families who regularly come to this weekly asylum drop-in.  As well as making this  act of generosity, the school is looking to work out a rota for the staff to come up and help with the activities of welcoming, supporting, providing lunch and bags of food to take away – thus ensuring not only that the staff learn about the lives of asylum-seekers but also that any asylum-seeker who visits the school to speak to a class or an assembly would recognise familiar faces amongst the staff. Here they are seen with Handsworth Welcome Coordinator Louise, before staying to help with serving lunch and chatting to what they described as out “little United Nations”.

St Clare’s received the School of Sanctuary Award in autumn 2016.