Some children in Birmingham schools as young as five have been asked to write Valentine's Day cards to asylum seekers stoking a major outrage. The activities in Labour-run Birmingham were co-ordinated by the Schools of Sanctuary Network , which includes an estimated 1,200 primary and secondary schools across the country, UK Telegraph reported.
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said that “children as young as five shouldn’t be used to push political agendas”.
“Classrooms should be for teaching maths, not immigration. Labour-run Birmingham council are allowing political campaigning to creep into our schools," Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip said.
Birmingham city council said the scheme was a national one launched by the charity City of Sanctuary Network, and was “independent of local authorities”. “Schools apply independently to become ‘schools of sanctuary’. In a diverse, welcoming and inclusive city like Birmingham, it comes as no surprise that several schools across the city have signed up independently to be schools of sanctuary," a spokesperson said.
Cities of Sanctuary UK , which operates the network, said that they “are not directly involved in the delivery of activities in schools” but that they “understand that the welcome card activity referenced involved children writing anonymised letters of welcome to people seeking safety in their communities”.
They added: “We are confident that teachers adopt rigorous safeguarding approaches when undertaking any activity in school, in line with their responsibilities to ensure every child is safe."
“This activity just reflects a thoughtful and kind act of welcome to people who have fled to the UK and are waiting for their claims of asylum to be reviewed. We believe these simple acts of compassion should be celebrated rather than criticised," they said.
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said that “children as young as five shouldn’t be used to push political agendas”.
“Classrooms should be for teaching maths, not immigration. Labour-run Birmingham council are allowing political campaigning to creep into our schools," Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip said.
Why have children been making Valentine’s cards for asylum seekers? pic.twitter.com/zkAI4HFBBe
— Charlotte Gill (@CharlotteCGill) August 7, 2025
Birmingham city council said the scheme was a national one launched by the charity City of Sanctuary Network, and was “independent of local authorities”. “Schools apply independently to become ‘schools of sanctuary’. In a diverse, welcoming and inclusive city like Birmingham, it comes as no surprise that several schools across the city have signed up independently to be schools of sanctuary," a spokesperson said.
Cities of Sanctuary UK , which operates the network, said that they “are not directly involved in the delivery of activities in schools” but that they “understand that the welcome card activity referenced involved children writing anonymised letters of welcome to people seeking safety in their communities”.
They added: “We are confident that teachers adopt rigorous safeguarding approaches when undertaking any activity in school, in line with their responsibilities to ensure every child is safe."
“This activity just reflects a thoughtful and kind act of welcome to people who have fled to the UK and are waiting for their claims of asylum to be reviewed. We believe these simple acts of compassion should be celebrated rather than criticised," they said.
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