Goal:  all pupils understand and appreciate others from different backgrounds with a sense of shared values, fulfilling their potential and feeling part of a community, at a local, national and international level (DCSF, England)

‘What is community cohesion?

By community cohesion, we mean working towards a society in which there is a common vision and sense of belonging by all communities; a society in which the diversity of people’s backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and valued; a society in which similar life opportunities are available to all; and a society in which strong and positive relationships exist and continue to be developed in the workplace, in schools and in the wider community .

Community from a school’s perspective

For schools, the term ‘community’ has a number of dimensions including:

•    the school community – the children and young people it serves, their parents, carers and families, the school’s staff and governing body, and community users of the school’s facilities and services

•    the community within which the school is located – the school in its geographical community and the people who live or work in that area. This applies not just to the immediate neighbourhood but also to the city or local authority area within which a school is located

•    the UK community – all schools are by definition part of this community

•    the global community – formed by EU and international links.

Links:

• Wales:  Community Cohesion Consultation paper
• DCSF: Community Cohesion Consultation document
• TeacherNET:  Case Studies, Resource Pack
• Communities and Local Government:  
• Our aim is to build thriving places where a fear of difference is replaced by a shared set of values and a sense of purpose and belonging. We want to make sure that everyone in each community benefits from diversity, and we recognise that this means promoting similar opportunities for all. Our challenge is to build these stronger communities in times of rapid change.
• Joseph Roundtree Foundation:  Community engagement and cohesion (report) Through three case studies, the study also identifies ways in which new communities can be involved effectively, together with more established communities, thereby increasing cohesion and mutual solidarity. June 2008
• IDeA:  Improvement and development agency for local government.  Community Cohesion Community cohesion is what must happen in all communities to enable different groups of people to get on well together. People all want to fulfil their potential and feel that they belong and contribute to their local area. IDeA provides a range of support to councils and their partners. This includes addressing equalities and community cohesion through the new performance framework and peer-to-peer work on cohesion issues.
• Global Gateway:  School Linking Toolkit. 

  Discover practical ways for schools in the UK to use school partnerships to find out about the countries and cultures in the country's history... to work with other schools in the UK to explore identity and diversity in a global context, and to promote Community Cohesion, now a duty on schools in England.

• Ofsted:  Schools to promote comunity cohesion and Ofsted to inspect. 

  • Guidance on inspecting community cohesion in schools . PDF version

  • Guidance on inspecting community cohesion in schools.  HTML version