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Schoolchildren as young as five are being asked to write Valentine's Day cards to asylum seekers.
Last year, pupils at hundreds of schools across Britain were asked to 'send messages of love and solidarity' on February 14 by creating handmade cards with slogans including 'You're welcome here!' and 'I love refugee rights, stop the Rwanda scheme'.
In another card, an accompanying poem read: 'Roses are red, violets are blue, refugees are people, just like me and you'.
Children were asked to create cards by Sanctuary of Schools, a network of more than 1,200 primary and secondary schools, nurseries and sixth forms.
They were also encouraged to discuss topics such as 'how do you think people seeking sanctuary should be treated?' to learn 'values like kindness, humanity and equality', as well as raise money for local charities and make 'displays of kindness' with their class or the wider school.
Many of the cards featured an orange heart symbol, which represents compassion for people fleeing war and is inspired by the refugee nation flag, according to Together With Refugees.
Schoolchildren as young as five are being asked to write Valentine's Day cards to asylum seekers (stock image)
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary (pictured), said that 'children as young as five shouldn't be used to push political agendas'.
Among the local authorities to partner with the Schools of Sanctuary Network is Labour-run Birmingham City Council.
Pupils at one school created cards that were sent to St Chad's Sanctuary, a local group which supports asylum seekers.
Another school showed off its card-making on social media which was championed by the Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary group, freelance journalist Charlotte Gill reports.
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said that 'children as young as five shouldn't be used to push political agendas'.
While teachers cannot promote political views in the classroom there is no suggestion that writing the Valentine's Day cards broke the law.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, accused Labour of turning classrooms into 'propaganda hubs' and weaponising pupils.
He said: 'Classrooms should be for teaching maths, not immigration. Labour-run Birmingham council are allowing political campaigning to creep into our schools.'
A spokesperson for Birmingham Council said: 'School of Sanctuary is a national scheme, which is independent of local authorities and 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.'
Cities of Sanctuary UK describes itself as coordinating, supporting and growing networks to 'support people seeking sanctuary in our communities'.
Their website states they 'work with individuals, groups and organisations in every area and in every sector to encourage inclusivity, solidarity and compassion for people from a forced displacement background.
A spokesperson for Schools of Sanctuary said: 'Whilst we are not directly involved in the delivery of activities in schools, we understand that the welcome card activity referenced involved children writing anonymised letters of welcome to people seeking safety in their communities.
'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.'
Last year, pupils at hundreds of schools across Britain were asked to 'send messages of love and solidarity' on February 14 by creating handmade cards with slogans including 'You're welcome here!' and 'I love refugee rights, stop the Rwanda scheme'.
In another card, an accompanying poem read: 'Roses are red, violets are blue, refugees are people, just like me and you'.
Children were asked to create cards by Sanctuary of Schools, a network of more than 1,200 primary and secondary schools, nurseries and sixth forms.
They were also encouraged to discuss topics such as 'how do you think people seeking sanctuary should be treated?' to learn 'values like kindness, humanity and equality', as well as raise money for local charities and make 'displays of kindness' with their class or the wider school.
Many of the cards featured an orange heart symbol, which represents compassion for people fleeing war and is inspired by the refugee nation flag, according to Together With Refugees.
Schoolchildren as young as five are being asked to write Valentine's Day cards to asylum seekers (stock image)
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary (pictured), said that 'children as young as five shouldn't be used to push political agendas'.
Among the local authorities to partner with the Schools of Sanctuary Network is Labour-run Birmingham City Council.
Pupils at one school created cards that were sent to St Chad's Sanctuary, a local group which supports asylum seekers.
Another school showed off its card-making on social media which was championed by the Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary group, freelance journalist Charlotte Gill reports.
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said that 'children as young as five shouldn't be used to push political agendas'.
While teachers cannot promote political views in the classroom there is no suggestion that writing the Valentine's Day cards broke the law.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, accused Labour of turning classrooms into 'propaganda hubs' and weaponising pupils.
He said: 'Classrooms should be for teaching maths, not immigration. Labour-run Birmingham council are allowing political campaigning to creep into our schools.'
A spokesperson for Birmingham Council said: 'School of Sanctuary is a national scheme, which is independent of local authorities and 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.'
Cities of Sanctuary UK describes itself as coordinating, supporting and growing networks to 'support people seeking sanctuary in our communities'.
Their website states they 'work with individuals, groups and organisations in every area and in every sector to encourage inclusivity, solidarity and compassion for people from a forced displacement background.
A spokesperson for Schools of Sanctuary said: 'Whilst we are not directly involved in the delivery of activities in schools, we understand that the welcome card activity referenced involved children writing anonymised letters of welcome to people seeking safety in their communities.
'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.'
