Community Cohesion: Issues and Practice

1
Community Cohesion Issues and Practice

• Sir Keith Ajegbo

2
Why Community Cohesion now?

• 7/7 and the fear of terrorism and extremism
  related to religion
• Trevor Phillips Sleepwalking to segregation
• Changing patterns of immigration-immigration as a
  major political issue fears around the BNP and
  local council elections
• Fears around teenage gang killings, teenage
  pregnancy, binge drinking and community
  relationship
• Concerns about the achievement gap of pupils on
  free school meals including white
  underachievement.

3
Why Community Cohesion now (2)

• In 1965 75 million people lived outside the home
  country, now 180 m
• 600,000 Britons live in Spain, more in other
  countries (200,000) in NZ 3m with second homes
• 25m tourists to the UK, 70m from UK to global
  destinations
• Globalisation in many forms internet,
  international students, brands etc

4
Review for the Secretary of State

• How is ethnic, religious and cultural diversity
  addressed in the school curriculum?
• Should British modern, social and cultural
  history be the 4th pillar of citizenship?
• Response while schools should celebrate
  difference they must also explore what brings us
  together, what we share and how we create
  communities.

5
What are schools for?

• What are the wider responsibilities of school to
  society?
• Childrens Plan Schools at the heart of their
• community
• Development of pupils as active and responsible
  citizens
• Creating more cohesive and resilient communities

6
Pulling policy strands together

• How do schools in their visioning and planning
  pull together the demands on them?
• Every child matters
• Personalised learning
• Extended schooling
• Citizenship
• Community cohesion
• Difference, pupil voice, pupil participation,
  enjoying and achieving, positive contribution,
  community involvement

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What are the implications of community?

• School community
• Community in which school is located
• UK community
• Global community
• How does the school operate in relation to local
  communities? How does it deal with issues of
  national identity? How does this link with ideas
  of global citizenship?

8
The Big Themes

• Religion and non religion
• Ethnicity and culture
• Socio economic status
• These can be controversial areas. How does the
  school deal with controversial issues?

9
Teaching, learning and the curriculum

• Perspectives of some students
• They see Africa as poor, Asia as flooded and
  England as snobby whites and poor blacks
• Im black I live in London-thats my home. My
  parents are from the Caribbean but Im really
  African. Im a Christian, but Im E7 -thats
  where I hang theyre my people. Thats who I am.
• I do feel sometimes that there is no white
  history. Theres either black history month or
  they do Muslims and Sikhs.
• Youre bored with it, youre just British.

10
Challenges Leadership

• The conclusion in our report was that issues of
  race and identity are often not high on schools
  agendas. Need to be regardless of location and
  intake
• The values that the head creates in the school
  are crucial in creating an ethos and curriculum
  that combats both personal and institutional
  racism and religious intolerance, celebrates
  diversity and practices inclusion. Will the new
  duty to promote community cohesion act as a
  lever?

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Challenges teachers

• 36 of teachers felt well equipped to teach in
  multi cultural schools following their Teacher
  Training.
• Are teachers across the board equipped to deal
  with sensitive and controversial issues in the
  classroom? Should they be?
• Does the system make the best use of minority
  ethnic teachers in terms of valuing their
  experience and contribution?

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Challenges the curriculum

• Who in the school ensures coherence across the
  curriculum, picking up issues from local to
  global
• Keystage 3 concepts
• History understanding the diverse experiences
  and ideas and beliefs and attitudes---
• Geography appreciating the differences and
  similarities between people, places ---
• English Literature in English---reflects the
  experiences of people from many different
  countries
• RE encouraged pupils to devlop their sense of
  identity and belonging

13
Citizenship education as a driver for change

• Citizenship education is about understanding
  community and active participation in the
  community.
• It is about pupil voice and pupil involvement in
  issues and ideas that affect their lives.
• Where does your school stand in its development
  of citizenship?

14
Identity and Diversity Living together in the UK

• Rationale Britain has committed itself to
  certain values- respect for the law, democratic
  political structures, values of mutual tolerance,
  equal rights. These should be subject to
  discussion and debate through looking at aspects
  of modern British history.
• The aspects of modern British history
• The UK as a multi national state.
• Immigration, Commonwealth and the legacy of
  Empire
• The European Union
• Extending the franchise (eg the legacy of
  slavery, universal suffrage, equal opportunities
  legislation

15
Curriculum Support

• QCA Cross curriculum dimensions (revised 1st
  September)
• Identity and Cultural Diversity
• Case studies

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Who Do We Think We Are?

• The week in June attracted around 500 schools.
• Website www.whodowethinkweare.org.uk
• Vast array of resources at sharp end of issues
• School and community
• Relationships, belonging and faith
• History and settlement
• Britishness, national identity/values 2012
  Olympics

17
Materials on the website

• Local history, local archives eg
  Northamptonshire Black History Project
• Blackhistory4schools looking afresh at the
  Elizabethans
• Britishness and the flag
• Materials on understanding slavery
• A project from Hull looking at the stories of
  recent immigrants
• Materials from rewind on racism
• Materials from the global gateway

18
School Linking Network

• www.schoolslinkingnetwork.org.uk
• Started in Bradford following 2001 disturbances
• Gateway 100 schools registered
• Waves Wave1 3 pilot authorities, Wave 2 10
  authorities, Wave 3 10 authorities
• Sponsored by DCSF, money for authorities involved
  CPD for teachers

19
Equity and Excellence

• Community cohesion depends on equal chances.
• A frightening statistic is that black pupils are
  three times more likely to be excluded from
  school than white pupils. (Getting it. Getting
  it right DCSF 2006 Guardian Sept 2008 report
  form Warwick University))
• Black pupils are .3 times as likely to be on
  gifted and talented register.
• Evidence that they are less likely to be in top
  streams.
• In 2005 twice as many black men in prison as at
  university.
• Good practice at Preston Manor in Brent

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Equity and Excellence 2

• There is an achievement gap for Roma, Gypsy and
  travellers of Irish heritage pupils and for
  Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black.
• These pupils are almost 3 times less likely to do
  maths and science at level 3.
• What is the relationship between institutional
  racism and community cohesion?
• How do we deal with white underachievement?

21
Engagement and Extended Services

• How far should schools travel fromstandards
  agenda?
• Where should student voice stand?
• Does the concept of extended schools play in to
  community cohesion? Is it a vehicle for bringing
  together families who would not otherwise meet?
• Is the BSF model for schools to become the
  community hub bringing together services and
  community activity?

22
Engagement and Extended Services 2

• At a conference focussed on raising achievement
  of Somali pupils 2 schools (Richard Atkins
  Primary in Lambeth, Little Ilford Secondary in
  Newham) indicated how they used extended
  schooling to raise achievement and build
  community cohesion.

23
The Challenge

• The challenge for schools is, while ensuring all
  children achieve, to work in their communities to
  create new concepts of what living together and
  national identity mean.