Lawn Manor Academy has marked the close of Refugee Week by celebrating the school’s diversity and recognising its culture of inclusivity and belonging.
The annual Celebration of Welcomes event sees pupils and their families invited into the school for the evening to enjoy a showcase of the different cultural identities and nationalities that make up Lawn Manor Academy.
The school was buzzing with a lively programme of music, film, dance, poetry and presentations.
Joining the 200 attendees was guest of honour the Mayor of Swindon, Cllr Imtiyaz Shaikh.
He said: “I thoroughly loved the annual Refugee Week activities at Lawn Manor Academy, thank you so much for being excellent hosts.
“The students I met are not just bright, but well-mannered; they demonstrated diversity in a variety of ways, one of which was by exhibiting wonderful foods from many nations; I have to admit, the Jollof rice was amazing!
“In my time spent with them, I was able to see how enthusiastically they all collaborated to protect diversity and raise awareness.
"Their creativity has gone to the next level and I was super impressed with their ideas for inclusion at school, and the impressive ideas to make sure no one feels left out.
“These young people's efforts are noteworthy and outstanding and I wish them nothing but the very best for all their individual & collective futures & successes.”
The school also celebrated officially being one of the 415 Schools of Sanctuary in the UK. Over the past year, Lawn Manor Academy has been working to achieve the title through raising awareness of the experiences of people seeking safety and building a culture of kindness and compassion across the school.
Will Smith, Head of PSHE at Lawn Manor Academy, said: “We’re very proud of the diversity within Lawn Manor Academy and the wealth of opportunities this provides us to celebrate each and every one of our pupils.
"Inclusivity and kindness are cornerstones of our approach to learning and form the basis of everything we do and it has been wonderful to see everyone come together on stage for the evening to enjoy the colours, tastes and sounds that make up the Lawn Manor Academy family.”
Lawn Manor Academy is part of the Ascend Learning Trust. For more information, people can visit www.lawnmanor.org.
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