St Helens College and Knowsley Community College has a proud tradition of welcoming sanctuary seekers into our community of learning, offering a safe space and a second chance.
This tradition means we are fully committed and supportive of the College of Sanctuaries vision to 'raise awareness of the issues facing people in the asylum system, including barriers to accessing and progressing in education'.
As part of our application to become a College of Sanctuary, we recognise the benefits to the wider community when people seeking refuge are integrated into college life.
The College pledges to understand the real-life experiences of sanctuary seekers, and to learn how we need to evolve to meet their changing needs. It is an opportunity to learn how they can enrich all our lives.
Through staff development training, student induction and a commitment to ongoing awareness raising with all levels of our institution, we seek to identify any barriers to learning in order to dismantle them.
The College exists for everyone in our community, and as such, it strives to make it a home for those fleeing persecution.
LATEST NEWS
Local café helping students integrate with local community
Our ESOL staff and students recently welcomed Emma Bamber, manager at Café Laziz in St Helens, along with some of her current volunteers.
ESOL Student Turns Entrepreneurial Dreams into Reality
After arriving in the UK seeking sanctuary, Mahbod joined our ESOL course and has now turned his entrepreneurial dreams into a reality and opened The Piano Cafe in St Helens.
College refugee football team plays St Helens councillors and community as part of pioneering Liverpool City Region approach to adult education
St Helens College’s refugee and asylum seeker football team, Hope United FC, took on Community All Stars, a team of town councillors and the community, as part of celebrations to mark Refugee Week.
Students get together to celebrate Refugee Week
We enjoyed a fantastic week celebrating Refugee Week with our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students.
