Community Cohesion Resource Pack
According to Professor Jeffrey Sachs, former Director of the UN Millennium
Project, 'Our generation's greatest challenge... is learning to live in
a crowded and interconnected world that is creating unprecedented pressures on
human society'. Similarly, Trevor Phillips, Chairman of the Equality and
Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has warned that Britain is 'sleepwalking
into segregation' and the Commission on Integration and Cohesion said in
its report that, 'we face challenges to integration and cohesion as a
nation'. Therefore, it is important that young people in particular are
equipped to meet this challenge to help them achieve their potential, flourish
and become active citizens in an increasingly diverse UK society.
As the Children's Plan, published by the DCSF in December 2007, says 'Schools are well placed to become a focal point for the local community and to foster better relationships between diverse communities. The introduction of the duty on schools to promote community cohesion recognises the good work that many schools are already doing to encourage community cohesion'. The duty is also part of the wider Every Child Matters (ECM) reforms which aim to meet the needs of children and improve outcomes for the whole child. The duty to promote community cohesion came into effect from 1 September 2007, with Ofsted due to inspect schools performance against the new duty from September 2008 onwards as part of normal school inspections.
Support for schools
The DCSF published Guidance on the duty to promote community cohesion in July 2007, which set out broadly how schools could contribute towards promoting community cohesion under three broad areas of: teaching, learning and curriculum; equity and excellence; and engagement and extended services. This online resource pack builds on that guidance by providing additional practical advice, information and support to help schools meet their new duty.
Although the duty is new, good schools have been working to develop a cohesive community for many years. The purpose of this online resource pack is to help schools to build on their existing good work by reviewing existing practice and identifying other ways of promoting community cohesion. Some schools may have specific areas of interest; others may want to use the audit and discussion tools to identify areas for development. As with all legal duties, it is the governing body of the school that is responsible for ensuring the duty is met, so this pack contains specific information to help governors fulfil their legal obligations.
Information and support is arranged into several broad areas:
- Introduction to Community Cohesion
- School Leaders' information
- Governors' information
- Teaching, Learning and Curriculum
- Equity and Excellence
- Engagement and Ethos
- Case Studies
- Frequently Asked Questions
Within each of the above areas, there are links to more specific information
and support related to that area. This is an online resource which is expected
to grow and develop over time so that it continues to provide schools with up
to date information and support to meet the duty.
Last updated: 01 October 2008
