Slide 1 Cover slide and play the music file as children enter the assembly. The music is a piece composed by a Syrian refugee, Moutaz Arian, and played by international pianist, Margaret Fingerhut.A few children could be given the role of saying welcome or hello in their mother tongue at the start of the assembly, one by one.Then to start the assembly ask if anyone can recognise the words that have been said, what do they all mean?

Slide 2 Talk briefly about Norfolk Welcomes. Explain that at school we will be thinking about the ways we can be a welcoming community.Do we know what the word welcome means and why we say it? E.g. We welcome someone into our home, we are welcomed when we visit a new place, we welcome new pupils and teachers to our school, we welcome new members to the clubs we go to.Song: saying hello in different languageshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbTJLW49WsU

Slide 3 Everyday, we have the opportunity to welcome someone.Pose the question: Have you welcomed someone today? Or has someone welcomed you?Ask for ideas from the children and adults in the assembly. What did it feel like when you were welcomed? What did it feel like to welcome someone?

Slide 4 Talk about the fact that there are people from all over the world who have moved to our country to make it a home. If appropriate, and you feel comfortable to, share some personal examples from your life, your school and your community. Tell the children that our school welcomes the world!

Slide 5 Explain that there are many reasons that people move countries. First focus on the positive reasons that lots of people make a choice to move: it could be to find work, to study or to start a new job. It may be that they want a better way of life or to be closer to friends or family.

Slide 6 Play a section of the music again (it is more than 4 minutes long). Ask them to think about the questions posed and briefly feedback their or your thoughts and impressions. Now explain that there are also people who don’t necessarily want to but they have to move. Many people are forced to move to escape problems such as war, persecution or disasters.

Slide 7 The people who are forced to flee and journey to a new country are known as refugees. Over the centuries many individuals and groups of people have come to Norfolk for reasons such as these. These people are called ‘refugees’ and they are looking for a safe country to rebuild their lives. Did you know that over half the world’s refugees are children?

Slide 8 This video was made by staff and pupils at Avenue Junior School, Norwich – one of Norfolk’s 12 Schools of Sanctuary.

Slide 9 Have you heard of The Golden Rule? What is it? What does it mean? Unpick with the children and explain that this is why we should welcome refugees.

Slide 10

Slide 11 To finish the assembly ask the children to consider and share what they can do to make their school and their community more welcoming places for everyone. The music could be played again as they leave the assembly.

Slide 12 Point out that next week it is Refugee Week and all over the country people will be celebrating the contributions that refugees have made and continue to make to the UK. There are events in Norwich that pupils may want to attend that you can signpost them to.