Celebration at Crickhowell Primary School – Thank You Tea and School of Sanctuary Recognition
On July 10th, Crickhowell Primary School welcomed pupils, parents, staff, governors, and local headteachers to a special celebration marking the school’s achievement of becoming a School of Sanctuary.
Being recognised as a School of Sanctuary means being a safe, welcoming, and secure place for everyone. Headteacher Mr Rob Francis reminded the audience that it’s not only important to offer a warm welcome but also to continually show compassion, care, understanding, and respect—to each other and to visitors—so that everyone feels empowered, valued, and supported.
In his welcome speech, Mr Francis thanked parents, governors, staff, and pupils for their hard work and support over the years. He also proudly noted that the school had recently received a Gold Award for Welsh Language—a rare and commendable achievement for an English-medium school. However, he emphasised that the School of Sanctuary award was a true reflection of the school’s ethos of welcome, tolerance, and respect.
Chair of Governors, Mr Alun Tandy, spoke of his pride in being involved with the school and shared his belief that the world will be a better place with future citizens who carry these important, embedded values.
After these words the pupils took over and the rest of the afternoon was led by them to very great effect.
The pupils then delighted the audience by sharing the work they had done on themes of sanctuary—demonstrating empathy, understanding, and positive action. All the children joined in performing African call-and-response songs such as Shosho Ioza, and a rousing version of ‘When I Needed a Friend‘. The younger pupils sang Count on Me, and the older children performed Daw Hyfryd Fis as a round, ‘Just Sing’ and ‘Get Loud’ : songs with powerful confidence boosting themes. . Makaton signing was used in several performances to emphasise key messages, and the children’s smiling faces showed just how much they enjoyed taking part.
Their work highlighted how sanctuary themes were integrated across the curriculum:
- Art – “Helping Hands” and “Sunflowers” with kind messages like “You belong.”
- Language – Essays, poems, empathetic writing, and comic strips.
- Maths – Data handling and statistics relating to people seeking sanctuary.
- Geography – Learning about countries people have come from and the reasons they migrate.
The pupils also wrote letters to their MP advocating for safe routes to sanctuary. Some even had the opportunity to present their work to David Chadwick MP at the Houses of Parliament.
The School Council played an active role, checking that every classroom door had welcome signs in multiple languages and recording the range of languages spoken in pupils’ and staff members’ homes. They spoke proudly about celebrating diversity—including LGBTQ+ awareness, neurodiversity, and mental health—by taking part in national observances and themed events. They also enjoyed learning about Fair Trade and taking part in an Africa-themed march.
One pupil shared a touching short poem:
Refugees
Strong, hope, resilient,
No place like home,
Welcome.
The award was presented by Rowland Jepson, School of Sanctuary lead for Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees (HBTSR). He shared how impressed the assessment team had been during their visit, and he challenged the Year 6 pupils to carry these principles into their future high schools. Expressing hope for a kinder future, he thanked the school, Mr Francis, and Deputy Head Mr Oram for their work with the School Council in compiling the evidence needed to achieve this recognition.
And everyone was invited to return for a Windrush celebration at the weekend!
