1. Schools and Educational settings need to be aware of the statements promoted nationally that outline a vision for a cohesive community.
National Community Cohesion Standards
The National Community Cohesion Standards are framed by four strategic aims, which are to:
Community Cohesion Education Standards for Schools (Home Office; DfES; CRE, 2004)
The Shared Futures Report by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.
The Report drew attention in particular to what more can be done to:
•support greater integration and interaction
•encourage more people to play a more active role in society.
The definition of integration and cohesion proposed by the Commission is as follows:
An integrated and cohesive community is one where:
There is a clearly defined and widely shared sense of the contribution of different individuals and different communities to a future vision for a neighbourhood, city, region or country
There is a strong sense of an individual’s rights and responsibilities when living in a particular place – people know what everyone expects of them, and what they can expect in turn
Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities, access to services and treatment
There is a strong sense of trust in institutions locally to act fairly in arbitrating between different interests and for their role and justifications to be subject to public scrutiny
There is a strong recognition of the contribution of both those who have newly arrived and those who already have deep attachments to a particular place, with a focus on what they have in common
There are strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and other institutions within neighbourhoods.
Our Shared Future, Final report of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, 2007
GUIDANCE ON THE DUTY TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY COHESION ( DCSF)
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.
The DCSF Guidance On The Duty To Promote Community Cohesion provides information to the background to the new duty and gives comprehensive guidance on how schools can develop provision to meet the new duty. In particular the Guidance highlights three areas where schools can contribute to community cohesion:
1.Teaching, learning and curriculum
Helping pupils to learn to understand others, to value diversity whilst also promoting shared values, to promote awareness of human rights and to apply and defend them, and to develop the skills of participation and responsible action.
2.Equity and excellence
To ensure equal opportunities for all to succeed at the highest level possible, striving to remove barriers to access and participation in learning and wider activities and working to eliminate variations in outcomes for different groups.
3.Engagement and extended services
To provide reasonable means for children, young people, their friends and families to interact with people from different backgrounds and build positive relations: including links with different schools and communities and the provision of extended services with opportunities for pupils, families and the wider community to take part in activities and receive services which build positive interaction and achievement for all groups.
2. Local definitions of community cohesion
It is equally, if not important to have a shared understanding of statements developed locally in relation to a cohesive Oldham and a commitment to their realization:
OLDHAM COMMUNITY COHESION STRATEGY 2008-2011 MARCH 2008
Following on from the publication of the Cantle Review Report in May 2006 the Oldham Partnership developed and published a revised Oldham Community Cohesion Strategy.
The Strategy articulated a vision for a harmonious borough in the following terms:
Building on national definitions in Oldham we want to achieve a place:
Taking all the above into account, the framework which underpins this Strategy is built upon three key pillars of Identity, Equality, and Engagement, which divide up into six cohesion outcomes.
Identity: by this we mean both shared identity and personal identity, wherein people share a sense of belonging and common identity, but are also strong in their own identities and respect others. We want to build a sense of what people have in common – pride in the Borough and its heritage and shared values – and pride in their own identity, whether that be in relation to race, faith, gender, age, sexuality or where they live.
Equality: our desired outcome is simply to create a more equal place, where people achieve greater equality in life opportunities.
Engagement: it is essential that people engage with each other and with organisations, so that they are enabled to relate to each other, play their part in society and create resilience to threats and conflict. We want to encourage positive interaction between people who have not previously tended to do so, for example between people from different ethnic or faith groups, inter-generational contact and the inclusion of disabled people. We want people to be empowered to play their part in the life of the Borough, through engaging with the Council and other organisations, getting involved in voluntary activity and so on. And we want to work together to identify potential threats and respond to hate crimes and incidents (those which are motivated by hatred or prejudice, such as because of people’s sexuality or particular ethnic or faith group).
The three pillars have the following cohesion outcomes:
IdentityOldham Partnership Community Cohesion Strategy and the Duty to Promote Community Cohesion
The Oldham Community Cohesion Strategy and the DCSF Duty to Promote Community Cohesion were in preparation over similar time periods and reflect similar aspirations.
The Oldham Strategy is framed around three key pillars and the new Duty is framed in relation to three strands as shown in the diagram below.
(diagram coming soon)
It is important to highlight the close ‘match’ between the pillars and strands whilst recognizing that the match is not perfect. In the Oldham Strategy the pillar of Identity is of central importance and key to achieving the outcomes for the Strategy within the Oldham context.
The pillar of Identity goes beyond the valuing of diversity in the Teaching Learning and Curriculum strand of the new duty in that it includes the three elements of people sharing a sense of belonging and common identity, being strong in their own identities as well as respecting the identity of others. A sense of identity will be nurtured very significantly within the curriculum but also through the other two strands of Engagement and Extended Service!
These aspects of nurturing identity are central to both the work of schools and the work of the CYPF Learning Development and Localities Group in supporting and challenging schools in their promotion of community cohesion.