CSJP Leadership Team Statement of Support for Schools of Sanctuary

The Sisters of St Joseph of Peace Congregation Leadership Team expresses our full solidarity with Schools of Sanctuary UK, their partner schools, and the children and families they serve.

In recent weeks, some media and far-right groups have spread false and inflammatory claims about the Schools of Sanctuary programme. These misrepresentations are consciously inflammatory, and they are dangerous for schools, families, and local communities. They seek to divide and to cause conflict where schools are working so hard to build peace.

In reality, every school individually decides which activities to take part in, in line with its own values and local context. These activities are chosen with great care, always appropriate to the age of the pupils, and carried out under rigorous safeguarding standards. The suggestion that schools have done anything unsafe or inappropriate is simply untrue.

The Schools of Sanctuary programme has one clear aim: to promote understanding, kindness, and compassion so that schools and communities can be safer, more welcoming places for everyone. This is why we strongly support this work. We know from our own tradition of Catholic education that when children are taught to welcome others, they become more compassionate, thoughtful, and confident members of society.

It is especially troubling that schools with a faith ethos have taken the brunt of recent abuse. Faith schools, particularly Christian schools, have long sought to put values of love and compassion into action, and for this reason, they have been deliberately targeted. We stand with them and all schools, acknowledging their courage and resilience in the face of pressure.

In keeping with our Congregation Chapter Calls of growing in nonviolence and recommitting ourselves to radical hospitality, as well as our previous statements on behalf of migrants and refugees, we believe that every child and family deserves to feel safe and supported, and that truth must be upheld against falsehoods. We call for calm, respect, and truthful communication, and we give thanks for the courage and commitment of teachers, parents, and children who are working daily to build welcoming communities.

Congregation Leadership Team
Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
September 10, 2025