Highlights
- Teachers must pledge to help pupils become "ethically informed change-makers".
- All recommended books carry a uniform pro-welcome message.
- City of Sanctuary says resources build empathy and critical think.
The scheme is run by the Schools of Sanctuary network, which sits under City of Sanctuary, a group backed by 60 local authorities. It sends book lists to secondary schools, primaries, and nurseries.
Teachers who want accreditation must commit to joining a "wider movement of welcome and stand in solidarity with people seeking safety."
City of Sanctuary noted that its books are meant to help children develop "empathy, critical thinking, and awareness of the experiences of others."
Schools that join the network are also expected to celebrate events such as Refugee Week, for which dedicated reading lists are created each year.
The 2025 list included titles such as Bobble and Kind . A guide was also issued to help teachers organise a Day of Welcome event, during which schools were asked to raise funds for Schools of Sanctuary and share stories of local refugee migration with parents and carers.
Books on the reading list
One book, Kind by Alison Green, is aimed at children as young as five. It uses cartoon animals crossing the sea in small boats to show refugees as "brave and amazing" people who have had to "leave their countries because of danger."
It asks children if they can "share toys" with newcomers and tells them to say "there's plenty of room, come on in" if anyone raises concerns about overcrowding.
One page features a raccoon opening a door to a large bear, with the line: "After all, if you don't let people in, you'll never know what you're missing." Bradford city council recommended the book for World Book Day.
A second title, Bobble by Helen May, follows a blue creature who escapes an unspecified ordeal "far away" and arrives on a beach by small boat.
The island's residents initially tell Bobble there is no room, but he eventually saves them from a natural disaster and they all migrate together.
The book's creators told The Telegraph that it was directly based on small boats crossing the Channel and was designed to build "empathy" for migrants.
A third book, Everybody's Welcome, features a woodland mouse who invites a growing number of destitute animals to join him "wherever they may come from."
A further title, Elmer and The Hippos, touches on themes of limited space and asylum, with a herd of elephants initially unhappy that hippos have come to share their river before eventually becoming friends.
Dozens of local authorities including Westminster, Brighton, Manchester, and Newcastle have signed up as Cities of Sanctuary. Wales is seeking to become the first "Nation of Sanctuary."
Typical sanctuary activities include English language classes and cultural events for new arrivals.
City of Sanctuary has received funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Church in Wales, among others.
