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Promoting community cohesion: the role of extended services

2 Promoting community cohesion: the role of extended services

Promoting community cohesion:the role of extended servicesAll maintained schools have a duty topromote community cohesion and, from 2010,to provide access to a core offer of extendedservices. This guidance explains how the dutyto promote community cohesion and theprovision of extended services can worktogether to support and reinforce each other –to help prepare every child for the challengesof the 21st century. This publication includesreal-life examples that show how schoolsacross England are already using extendedservices to make a positive difference to allthe communities they serve.

Promoting community cohesion: the role of extended services 3

The Department for Children, Schools and Families(DCSF) defines community cohesion as:

“... working towards a society in which there isa common vision and sense of belonging byall communities; a society in which thediversity of people’s backgrounds andcircumstances is appreciated and valued; asociety in which similar life opportunitiesare available to all; and a society in whichstrong and positive relationships exist andcontinue to be developed in the workplace,in schools and in the wider community”.Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Education andSkills, Guidance on the Duty to Promote CommunityCohesion (DCSF, 2007)

In its report, Our Shared Future (2007), the Commissionon Integration and Cohesion explored and expanded theDepartment’s definition.

The report suggests that a cohesive community is onewhere “there is a clearly defined and widely shared senseof the contribution of different individuals and differentcommunities to a future vision for a neighbourhood, city,region or country”. A “sense of belonging” is taken tomean that individuals identify with a particular place,take pride in it and have faith in the capacity of localinstitutions to act fairly and openly.

The Commission also stresses the importance of not only tackling gaps in equality but being seen to do so, ensuring that all individuals come to expect fair treatment as a right.

Defining community cohesion

Manchester Creative and Media Academy

Manchester Creative and Media Academy wascreated in September 2009 to replace NorthManchester High School for Boys and NorthManchester High School for Girls. Executive PrincipalBarry Fishwick has overarching responsibility foralmost 2,000 students. He sees the new academy asa chance to build more positive relationships withthe local community.

A first step was to get involved with the localresidents’ group. “In the past, there’d been problemswith anti-social behaviour at lunchtimes linked tothe school,” Barry says. “By meeting local peopleface to face, we’ve been able to show them thatwe’re committed to making a fresh start.”

Barry met young people and their parents andsubsequently arranged for them to use the academy’sgym and sports facilities after hours. As well asgiving young people a safe place to be, this is helpingparents to engage with the academy. The number of

activities available to local people has more thandoubled since the academy came into being. “Wewant to create a positive culture,” says Barry, “and –hopefully – start to raise people’s aspirations.”

Forming partnerships with primary schools and otherlocal organisations is another priority. “We providefree space to a local youth theatre group,” saysBarry. “It helps them and it’s another way of gettingpeople into the academy. We’re also hosting a localdisabled cycling club. As a direct result, we’re nowforming our own cycling group for all local people,not just pupils and their families.”

In future, the academy hopes to play a key role inlocal youth provision. It is currently working withYouth Zone, a social enterprise, to build a youthcentre that is scheduled to open in 2011. “The idea isto model it on Bolton Lads Club,” says Barry. “Wewant to work with local businesses and charities andturn the academy into a real hub for the community.”

Building better relationships


The role of schools

Suffolk County Council

Suffolk local authority has about 18 supplementaryschools with an average of 20 pupils each. Theschools provide education outside normal schoolhours, usually after school and at weekends, and aremainly for children and young people from minorityfaiths and ethnic communities.

To encourage closer partnerships between itssupplementary and mainstream schools the localauthority established a collaboration projectbetween the schools. The local authority believesupplementary schools provide a valuable linkbetween schools and the community and can assist

by offering cultural and holiday activities as well asby sharing their expertise.

At the mosque school, for example, pupils havetraditionally been reluctant to attend pre- or after-school clubs. The school decided to try to boost uptake by getting parents more involved in thelife of the school via a programme called SHARE,which gave them opportunities to come in and talkabout their culture. SHARE is now running in about120 schools in Suffolk, including half of all primaries, and headteachers report that parental engagement is growing.

School partnerships

All schools, being at the heart of theircommunity, have a key role to play in building a fair, integrated and tolerant society by givingpupils the skills, knowledge and opportunitiesto learn with, from and about those fromdifferent cultures, beliefs and backgrounds and to develop shared values. In an increasinglydiverse and globalised society, this is animportant part of preparing our children and young people to meet the economic andsocial challenges of the 21st century.

Schools’ own populations are becoming increasinglydiverse, with more than 300 languages spoken by childrenin London's schools alone. Pupils must be given theopportunity to mix with and learn about people fromdifferent backgrounds in order to combat the negativeeffects of intolerance and harassment, build mutualrespect and shared values between different groups andencourage a sense of commitment to common goals.For some schools, where the pupil population is lessdiverse or predominantly of one socio-economic, ethnic,faith or non-faith background, it is even more importantto provide opportunities for meaningful interactionbetween children and young people from differentbackgrounds. Promoting pupil well-being, equality andcommunity cohesion are integral in building resilienceamongst children and young people.

Broadly, schools’ contribution to community cohesioncovers three areas:

• Teaching, learning and the curriculum – helpingchildren and young people learn to understand othersand value diversity; promoting awareness of humanrights and encouraging participation and responsibleaction, for example, through the new ‘identity anddiversity; living together in the UK’ strand withincitizenship education

• Equity and excellence – removing barriers toparticipation in learning to narrow the attainmentgap between different groups; cohesion is greatestwhen all share in success

• Engagement and ethos – creating opportunities forchildren, young people and their families to take partin activities and build relationships with people fromdifferent backgrounds, including by building linkswith other schools and community groups locallyand further afield

This document focuses on the third area, engagementand extended services, and how this links to andsupports other aspects of school provision. As theexamples in this guidance show, many different types of school activity can promote community cohesion. We hope this document will prompt schools to look athow various aspects of their work are already supportingthe integration and cohesion agenda, and to considerwhat more they may be able to do.


Photo redacted due to third party rights or other legal issues


The duty to promote community cohesion

The duty to promote community cohesion wasset out in the Education and Inspections Act2006 and took effect in September 2007. FromSeptember 2008, community cohesion becamepart of the Ofsted inspection process.

According to guidance issued by Ofsted, if a school is tosuccessfully fulfil its duty to promote communitycohesion it should focus on the three key strands (faith, ethnicity and culture, and socio-economic factors)and demonstrate that:

• it understands the context of its own community • it has planned and taken an appropriate set

of actions, and • these actions have had an evident impact on the

cohesiveness of the school and community.

Schools should also ensure their Singular Equalities Planaddresses issues of gender, sexual orientation, disabilityand age – while recognising that the main focus of theduty is to promote cohesion across different cultural,ethnic, religious and socio-economic groups. Theyshould also bear in mind that the term “community”operates at a number of different levels:

• The immediate school community, including pupils,parents/carers/families, school staff, governors andmembers of the local community who make use ofthe school’s facilities

• The school’s neighbourhood, town and/or localauthority area and the people who live and workthere, and other local schools

• The UK community • The global community

Schools may also have formed their own uniquecommunities, for example, when they started offeringextended services to local people or establishing linksand creating clusters with other schools.

The role of school governorsThe duty to promote community cohesion rests on thegoverning body, which is also responsible for shapingschools’ overarching strategies. As members of thecommunity, the governors are well placed to use theirunderstanding of the school’s context to guide theschool. The governing body promotes and supportscommunity cohesion by:

• creating an ethos that supports equality of opportunity

• ensuring the promotion of strong and supportiverelationships with and between pupils, parents andstaff, local people and partner organisations

• ensuring the school actively works to tackle barriers –such as social and economic disadvantage orethnicity – that could stand in the way of pupils’ achievement

• ensuring the school curriculum celebrates diversity,promotes tolerance and builds resilience

• ensuring the school reaches out to the community by involving parents in the life of the school andbringing community groups into the school

• considering how the school’s workforce andgoverning body should reflect the diversity of the community they serve, and

• ensuring that there are no barriers to participation in school governance for people from some socio-economic and ethnic groups at risk of exclusion

• ensuring the school effectively monitors the impactof its community cohesion policies.

The National Governors’ Association has developed atraining package to support governors in meeting theduty to promote community cohesion. This can be foundat www.nga.org.uk/cohesion/



The dimensions of community cohesion

Teaching,learningand

curriculum

The global community

The UK community

The community in which schoolis located

The school community

Religious and

non-relig

ious

Ethnici

tyand cu

lture

Socio-eco

nomic

Equalityand

excellence

Engagementand

ethos

The cube diagram on this page was developed by Ofsted to illustrate the different dimensions ofcommunity cohesion and the different aspects of schools’ provision that can be used to promote it.The diagram shows that ‘community’ should not simply be viewed as being local and thatcommunity cohesion is as much about relationships between people from different ages and socio-economic groups as it is about different ethnicities.

The different social dimensions of ‘community’

The different scales or geographicaldimensions of community

The school’scontribution canbe grouped underthese headings


The Government’s 21st century schools vision isfor every child to enjoy their childhood, achievetheir full potential and turn 18 with knowledge,skills and qualifications that will give them thebest chance of success in life. Extended servicesoffered in and around schools have a key role toplay in making this vision a reality. Schools areexpected to work in partnership with others andwith wider children’s services and to engagewith pupils, parents and the community toestablish their needs. When extended servicesare designed to meet those needs and areintegrated into whole-school planning, they canremove barriers to learning, support classroompractice and provide life-changing opportunitiesand experiences.

By September 2010, all schools must have in place thecore offer of extended services:

• A varied menu of activities, including study support• Year-round childcare between 8am and 6pm in

primary and special schools, as well as a ‘safe placeto be’ in secondary schools

• Parenting support, including access to structured,evidence-based parenting programmes, familylearning sessions and information plus informalopportunities for parents to engage with the school

• Swift and easy access to targeted and specialistservices for children and young people who haveadditional needs or who are at risk of poor outcomes

• Community access to school facilities and services

Schools are not required to deliver these services alone.The intention is that schools work in partnership witheach other and with other organisations and groups todeliver services that the community needs whileavoiding duplication.

Each local authority has at least one extended servicesadviser whose role is to work closely with local schools,children’s centres and providers to develop and deliverextended services. Local authorities are also responsiblefor administering the more than £1bn in funding that the DCSF has allocated to extended services between2008 and 2011.

Extended services



The E13 learning partnership, Newham

The E13 learning partnership in Newham, eastLondon, comprises Lister Community School – aspecialist performing arts school serving 1,350students – and seven local primary schools. The areais economically deprived and ethnically diverse: atCurwen Primary School, for example, 90 per cent ofpupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. Theschools work closely together to provide support forlocal families, for instance, by co-funding a team offamily support workers.

Support workers encourage families at all the E13schools to attend adult learning courses and to joinin a family learning programme run by the West HamUnited Learning Zone. There is also a regular mothersand toddlers group and a toy library run by localparents. Paul Harris, Headteacher at Curwen, holdsregular coffee mornings for parents. “It’s importantto find out what they want,” he says. “Consultationmakes parents feel they have more ownership of theactivities and relationships with the school haveimproved as a result.”

The partnership schools identified that parents fromsome ethnic groups were only engaging with theschool if and when behavioural issues needed to beaddressed. They therefore set out to developdedicated groups aimed at building betterrelationships with these parents. These include theBangladeshi Parent Support Group, which is run byone of E13’s family support workers and offers arange of activities largely shaped by parents,including coffee mornings, speaker sessions andcourses in English and ICT. The family support workersignposts to services such as benefits and housing aswell as providing emotional support.

In its October 2009 Ofsted inspection, Curwen wasrated outstanding for its community cohesion work.“The school works consistently to break down thepotentially insular existence of many of its pupils,”said inspectors. “[Its] exceptional work to engagefamilies, particularly those who are traditionally hardto reach, helps pupils to grow and flourish.”

Reaching out to parents

Promoting digital inclusionUK Online Centres provide communities with access tocomputers and the internet, along with help and adviceon how to use them. Their mission is to connect peopleto digital skills and opportunities, using technology toimprove lives and life chances. Schools that wish toprovide community access to their computing/ICT suites can apply to become UK Online Centres.www.ukonlinecentres.com/corporate/regions-and-network/becoming-a-centre

This may contribute to how a school can demonstrate itscommitment to creating digital and social equality in itscommunity. Whether or not a school becomes a membercentre it can promote and use the free Myguide facilitywww.myguide.gov.uk to help parents, grandparents andothers to get the best from the internet and use it safely.This easy-to-use interactive service shows people how touse online resources to engage with their children’slearning, health and well-being, to save money, find jobsand much more.


Hollins Technology College, Lancashire

The Hollins Technology College is a leading-edge andspecialist technology college in Accrington. In 2009/10, the school ran a six-week arts project, CohesionThrough Creativity, in partnership with Cool CanvasCommunity Arts. Students produced storyboards andvox pops based on six themes – aspirations,friendship, transition, family, the community and ourworld – using a range of creative media.

Members of the community, including students fromanother school, families, community groups andcharities, also joined in the sessions by workingalongside students. The storyboards were sponsoredby local businesses and community groups and thegrand unveiling was held at a local Italian restaurant.Students, school staff and local people all attendedthe ceremony.

In February 2010, the storyboards went on a ‘tour’ ofthe local area, starting at the Global ConferenceCentre in Oswaldtwistle before moving on to locallibraries and the Howarth Arts Museum. As a resultof the project, students have formed strongerrelationships with their peers and have a greaterunderstanding of the local community and itsdiversity. They are more confident and moreinterested in attending other after-school classesand clubs.

The project has also given students the chance tomake a direct and positive contribution to their localcommunity. “The whole experience was fantastic andlots of fun,” said one student in year 11. “Meeting and working with lots of new, different people wasreally great.”

Community arts



Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language College, Islington

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language College is agirls school with 900 students aged 11-16. Theschool employ bi-lingual parent support advisorswhose remit is to work with Somali, Bengali,Portuguese and Turkish parents. Their workincludes hosting community mornings, whereparents can talk informally to each other andlearn more about the school and educationsystem. Topics covered include behaviour policy,bullying, helping your daughter to learn, GCSEsand attendance. The school has now set up aparents’ forum to bring parents from differentethnic groups together and give them a say inhow the school is run.

Parents’ mornings

Treales Church of England Primary School, Lancashire

This very small rural school plans activities togive its pupils an awareness of a range of faiths in addition to developing a distinctiveChristian ethos. Ofsted found that pupils’“understanding of the difference betweenlifestyles and cultures in this small ruralcommunity compared with those in towns withmixed ethnic populations is developing well”.The extended services activities include visits to a mosque and school in nearby Preston,giving pupils an opportunity to meet children from different faith groups informally andproviding an authentic introduction to Muslimbelief and practice.

Understanding different faiths

Loughborough Primary School, Lambeth

Loughborough Primary School in Brixton, south-westLondon, is part of a successful federation incorporatingthree primaries, a children’s centre and the LambethVisually Impaired Service. The school serves anethnically diverse and socio-economically deprivedurban catchment area.

“We want to use extended services to make ourschool the hub of the community,” says RichardThornhill, the federation’s executive headteacher. He has opened up holiday provision to all localchildren, not just the school’s own pupils – which isone of the dimensions of community cohesion. TheMetropolitan Police provides financial and practicalsupport, driving the minibus on outings and organisingfootball matches.

The scheme attracts around 300 children over thecourse of the summer. “It’s an effective way ofengaging young people and giving them somethingconstructive to do, rather than getting into trouble onthe housing estates,” says Richard Thornhill. At thesame time, the scheme is helping to improve relationsbetween the local community and the police.

Richard Thornhill believes the school is raisingstandards of achievement and acting as anincreasingly valuable resource for the wholecommunity by offering extended services like thesummer scheme. This view is backed by Ofsted, whoseinspectors commented in June 2008: “[Loughborough]has been successful in its aim of building a veryinclusive school. The school has gained thewholehearted support of the local community.”

Partnerships with police


There is a clear overlap between the elementsof the extended services core offer and thecommunity cohesion agenda. The core offeraims to eliminate barriers to attainment andensure that all pupils and their families play a positive and active role in the schoolcommunity. It presents clear opportunities for schools to work in partnership with eachother and other organisations, includingcommunity groups. Fully understanding thecontext of a school’s community can supportand strengthen planning and the quality ofprovision, including extended services.

In seeking to promote community cohesion, schools can benefit by:

• adopting a whole school approach to communitycohesion that recognises how this can link toimproved attainment levels, well-being and otherschool priorities

• consulting and engaging with pupils, parents, familiesand the wider community to ensure that activitiesand services truly meet their needs

• working in clusters with other schools and inpartnership with other children’s services

• linking to schools with markedly different types of community

• working with local voluntary and community groupsto build stronger relationships, offer a wider range of activities and services and gain a greaterunderstanding of the local community

• being sensitive to cultural differences in the design of extended services

• embedding extended services in the schoolimprovement plan and action planning forcommunity cohesion and ensuring they support the achievement of pupils from a wide range ofbackgrounds, and

• encouraging parents to engage in their children’s learning.

A varied menu of activitiesThe varied menu of activities element of the core offerprovides many opportunities for meaningful interactionbetween different parts of the immediate community.

For instance, schools can use activities to promotecommunity cohesion through:

• activities aimed at specific groups in the community• activities that bring together different groups within

the community• activities designed to engage particular pupils

or groups• activities that take place in the community and

involve community groups or organisations• study support activities that support curriculum

work on diversity, equality and cross-culturalunderstanding, and

• activities designed to benefit the community, such as volunteering.

Community accessSchools can use this element of the core offer topromote community cohesion by:

• providing space for community groups and hostingcommunity activities

• providing access to services for individuals and community groups

• hosting community services such as drop-in clinics and specialist support, and

• offering access to school information technology and training so there is no ‘digital divide’ in the community.

Swift and easy accessSchools working closely with multi-agency partners canpromote community cohesion by:

• ensuring school staff have information oncommunity needs and issues from a range ofservices, including police, housing, social care and health

• offering targeted support and services to individualpupils and cohorts, and

• intervening early to prevent youth crime.

ChildcareHigh quality childcare can be a focal point for differentgroups to meet and provide support for working parents.Offering childcare is also often the first chance schoolshave to establish relationships with parents.

Linking extended services to community cohesion


Parenting support and family learningStrong parental support is important to ensure thatprejudices and stereotypes are not perpetuated andextended services – including family learning and parent-focused activities – can help with this. Schools can use to this element of the core offer to promotecommunity cohesion by offering:

• personalised communication with parents in theirown languages

• parent groups to promote engagement amongparticular groups in the community

• activities that bring together different groups ofparents in the community

• targeted work with individual parents• parenting skills relating to particular groups in

the community• activities that promote diversity, tolerance and

shared values, and• adult learning opportunities aimed at

particular groups.

Castle High School, Dudley, West Midlands

Castle High School in Dudley has around 1,000 students, of whom one-third are from either Asian orAfro-Caribbean backgrounds. The school’s catchmentincludes areas that are among the 10 per cent mostdeprived in the country.

Criminal damage and anti-social behaviour werebecoming major problems. Home Office figures showthat young people commit 60 per cent of anti-socialbehaviour and that 60 per cent of excluded youngpeople go on to commit crime. So when the policeapproached the school about providing diversionaryactivities, the response was enthusiastic.

The Friday Night Club started in 2007. Initially, about12 pupils met each week to play football, with policeofficers joining in. Numbers are now up to about 35.The club runs between 7pm and 9pm, identified as thetime when most anti-social behaviour occurs.

Historically, the school had found it hard to engageAsian pupils in after-school activities but getting anAsian adult to promote a second Friday night club, theKashmir Youth Forum, has proved effective. Now,about 50 pupils come along to the football sessions.The Forum has its own league but also plays againstthe Club teams. In summer 2009, more than 100Asian pupils and parents came together to celebratethe Forum’s achievements.

Outcomes include changing attitudes – the youngmen attending the Forum show respect andappreciation for the support and there has beennotable improvement in attitudes towards the police –and a measurable impact on crime. In 2008, incidentsof criminal damage in the town centre fell by 73 percent on the previous year. The total was down by 172 cases.

Reducing anti-social behaviour



Joseph Leckie Community Technology College, Walsall, West Midlands

Joseph Leckie Community Technology College inWalsall, West Midlands, has 1,200 students andserves three distinct communities: a white working-class area and two areas of high deprivation withcommunities that are predominantly Asian. In thepast, tensions between groups of students have ledto problems, including violent incidents and theposting of inflammatory videos on the internet.

The school believes that friendship groupings basedon ethnic or religious divisions reinforce stereotypes,foster mutual mistrust and undermine communitycohesion. It has, therefore, launched Challenge toChange, a five-day residential programme inAberdovey, Wales, where students from a range of

backgrounds take part in Outward Bound activitiesthat present individual and team challenges.

The school is also using the extended servicesdisadvantage subsidy to help support a cluster-wideprogramme of holiday activities. A parent volunteerand a number of students help to run theprogramme, which is also supported by the SaferWalsall Borough Partnership and the Walsall Youth Service.

Speaking at a local tenants’ meeting, Police SergeantGary Iliff pointed to a 25 per cent reduction in crimein the area over the summer period. The school alsoreports improved relationships between pupils fromdifferent communities.

Challenging stereotypes

The Ashley School, Suffolk

The Ashley School in Lowestoft, Suffolk, is a specialschool catering for 127 students with moderatelearning difficulties. The school also has specialistcollege status for cognition and learning. It serves awide geographical area.

In 2000, the school decided to open up its Duke ofEdinburgh Awards unit to learners from other schools,particularly those with additional needs. Weeklyafter-school sessions cover volunteering, developingnew skills and sport. There is also a three-daycanoeing expedition. The sessions are helping to break down barriers between students, encouragingcollaboration with other schools and – through thevolunteering strand – having a direct positive impacton the local community.

More recently, the school has turned its attention toproviding targeted support for students at risk ofbecoming NEET (not in employment, education ortraining) and their families. Two teaching assistantswere given additional training by partner agencies,including health, drugs, crime prevention andConnexions, and are now entirely focused onsupporting families. Another member of support staffis now focused on transition, working with year 11leavers to support their decision-making and helpthem make positive choices about their futures.

The school’s efforts to engage with its community ofschools, with people living nearby and with its parentsand carers have helped bring about a significantreduction in the NEET population. Ofsted inspectors,visiting in March 2009, observed that “... parents arefully involved in their child’s learning” and that “pupilshave a very well developed culture awareness.”

Targeted support


Schools need to demonstrate clear evidence that they are working in a structured andeffective way to promote greater cohesionamong their pupils and workforce and also inthe wider community, locally, nationally andinternationally. A school’s self-evaluationprocess can be a good vehicle for seeking andcollecting evidence that can then be used in the self-evaluation form (SEF).

Key questionsOfsted inspectors will report on a school’s duty topromote community cohesion in the leadership andmanagement section of the inspection report.

The guidance suggests that inspectors should be askingthe following three questions:

• What do you know about the context of yourschool in respect of community cohesion? As aminimum, a school should be able to show that ithas considered its context in relation to faith,ethnicity and culture and socio-economic factors andthat it understands how its own immediatecommunity compares with local and national ones

• Have you planned and taken an appropriate set ofactions to promote community cohesion? Plansshould be clearly based on the school’s analysis of itsown context and priorities and should include someoutreach activities

• What impact are you having? As a minimum, a school should be able to show that it is evaluating the impact of its actions on cohesion in relation to faith, ethnicity and culture and socio-economic factors in the school and local community

The opposite page sets out the type of questions schoolsmay wish to explore when demonstrating the impact oftheir extended services and how they are promotingcommunity cohesion.

Ongoing self-evaluationAs part of good practice in self-evaluation, schoolsshould regularly update the SEF and RAISEonline withdata about the school and its community. A schoolshould also bear in mind that the views of pupils, theirknowledge of their community and their assessment of the school’s community cohesion work will form anessential part of the evidence base. Inspectors will want to talk to pupils about the diversity of their local and national communities, their own interactionswith different groups and what they believe the school is doing to promote good relationships andmutual understanding.

School self-evaluation of community cohesion


Effective evidence

The questions on this page are designed to helpschools develop an action plan or to review howeffectively their activities are promotingcommunity cohesion. When evaluating the long-term impact on attitudes and behaviour, schoolsalso need to consider how to accommodate staffturnover and ensure data collection is consistentand ongoing.

Planning and preparation• Is your community cohesion work part of a

planned, whole-school action plan that includesextended services?

• Have you planned how you will evaluate theeffectiveness of your extended services in promotingcommunity cohesion? For example, did you conductan attitude survey before offering the services?Comparing attitudes before and after the services were introduced can reveal any lasting impact.

• How have you aligned school and cluster planningwith the children’s and young people’s plan –including local authority community cohesion plansand national indicators – to enable you todemonstrate and measure impact?

Understanding your community• How do you gain an in-depth understanding of the

context of your own community and its varyingneeds? Does the school draw on existing audits andsurveys to deepen its understanding of thecommunity and context?

• What processes – consultation, independent surveys,etc – have you used to understand the context andneeds of your school/local/national/globalcommunity? For example, have you consulted your local authority for information and data ondemographic patterns and trends or the achievementand behaviour of specific groups of learners?

• What is your understanding and analysis of thepressure points of the relationships in thecommunities you serve? For example, whatcommunity tensions, stereotypes and negativeattitudes exist both within your school and in thecommunity your school serves? What actions can betaken to build greater cohesion and how will youmeasure their effectiveness in terms of faith,ethnicity and socio-economic context?

Approach to offering extended services• How does your school encourage different groups of

children and young people to understand that theyare entitled to access a number of different servicesand activities?

• How does your school foster close relationships withpartner schools in contrasting parts of the UK and/orthe world? How do you evaluate these links andwhat are the benefits of these relationships?

• How are you ensuring that everyone can accessservices? Is cost an issue for some members of yourcommunity? Are the location and timing of servicessuitable for all members of the community?

• How are your extended services supporting or buildingon classroom work linked to community cohesion?

• How is your school using extended services toencourage pupils to see themselves as belonging to awider geographical community? How are you helpingstaff to understand this? What do they know about local culture and traditions that can foster pride inthe community?

Evidence for self-evaluation• Schools are often very good at listing their activities

but have you put in place processes to measure theirimpact quantitatively and qualitatively? How haveyou considered and planned for the impact of thoseactivities so that you can evaluate and quantify it?

• How does your school encourage members of thelocal community to participate in school activities?What partnerships have you established and workedwith locally (neighbourhood partnerships), nationallyand globally to support your community cohesionactivities/plan?

• When evaluating the impact of extended services oncommunity cohesion, how does your school considerthe short-, medium- and long-term changes to theattitudes and behaviour of pupils and staff? How areyou evaluating the contribution of each area ofprovision, including extended services?

• How does your cluster/confederation/partnership ofschools evaluate community cohesion together toshare effective practice and support each otherrather than ‘reinvent the wheel’?

• How can you evaluate staff attitudes to communitycohesion? When evaluating the long-term impact onattitudes and behaviour, what is in place to ensuredata collection is consistent, ongoing andaccommodates staff turnover?


The SIPF and the impact evaluation modelThe School Improvement Planning Framework (SIPF)was developed by the Training and Development Agencyfor Schools (TDA) and the National College for Leadershipof Schools and Children’s Services in partnership withmore than 200 schools. The framework sets out a three-stage planning process – prepare and engage,identify objectives and ensure successful outcomes –underpinned by practical, user-friendly tools.

The framework can support schools’ commitment topromoting community cohesion in a number of ways,including by encouraging the development of a sharedvision and reducing gaps in attainment by focusing onways of supporting all pupils to realise their potential.Many of the tools are also based on consultation withpupils, staff, parents and families and members of the community.

Kirkleatham Hall Special School in Redcar used theWhat’s Working? tool to gather the views of pupils andparents on the school improvement agenda. Student

council representatives consulted their peers, carryingout a separate exercise in each classroom so that allpupils could have their say. Parents were asked tocomplete a questionnaire at parents’ evenings. “We’re gathering far more evidence than before,” says Headteacher Gill Naylor, “and parents are gettingmuch more involved.”

The TDA has also developed an impact evaluationmodel, which is particularly effective when used towardsthe end of the planning process and before servicedelivery. The model aims to help local authorities andschools bring together qualitative and quantitativeevidence and demonstrate the impact of a whole rangeof projects, initiatives and services. The resultingevidence will provide a valuable resource to draw onwhen seeking to demonstrate the impact of extendedservices, including on community cohesion, and whenpreparing for an Ofsted inspection.

Find out more about the SIPF atwww.tda.gov.uk/schoolimprovementFind out more about the impact evaluation model at www.tda.gov.uk/impactevaluation



Harton Technology College, South Shields, South Tyneside

Harton Technology College in South Shields has 1,354 students drawn from a catchment area that includes pockets of severe deprivation as well as relatively prosperous suburbs. The schoolwas recently named one of the most improvedsecondary schools in England. The student profile isincreasingly diverse, with a notable increase inBangladeshi students.

During the Easter term, the school ran a parentingcourse, Living with Teenagers, in partnership withParentline Plus. The programme covered a range ofissues including drugs, alcohol, family relationships,exam stress and coping with divorce. The responsewas very positive and parents have now set up theirown self-help group. Relationships with the schoolhave improved. Harton also offers family learningprogrammes, including healthy eating and circus

skills, in partnership with South Tyneside Adult andCommunity Learning Services. Each session hasattracted between 18 and 40 attendees and thestrategy has proved an excellent way of engaginghard-to-reach parents, recruiting adult learners and building stronger bonds between parents and children.

The school held Global Diversity Days in July andNovember 2009. Engaging in cultural activities, such as African drumming, sushi-making andbreakdancing, helped raise the young people’sawareness of their status as global citizens, and the days culminated in presentations by the Red Card to Racism organisation. Feedback has beenexcellent, with parents reporting that their childrenhave a greater appreciation of each others’ culturesand a more positive attitude to minority groups.

Family and community learning

My Heritage, My History, My Home, Middlesbrough

My Heritage, My History, My Home brought togethersix primary schools in east and west Middlesbroughin a programme aimed at raising cultural awareness,strengthening relationships between diversecommunities and responding to concerns raised byheadteachers regarding race-related tensionsbetween pupils.

Participating pupils – many of whom had beenidentified by their schools as needing additionalsupport – worked with education officers fromTeesside Archives and the Dorman Museum,researching their family heritage and learning how Middlesbrough has changed since their parentsand grandparents were growing up. The projectculminated in a week of day-long workshops at the

museum, where all 50 children worked together toproduce their own documentary film and artwork,and a celebratory event for pupils and their families.

Feedback from pupils was very positive. “It was aninteresting project and while we were learning aboutthings we also had loads of fun”, said one. “I’veabsolutely loved this history project!” commentedanother. Teaching staff have reported a noticeabledifference in some pupils, who had been disengagedfrom learning. They seemed more enthusiastic aboutlearning and showed increasing levels of self-esteem.The project also successfully encouraged integrationbetween different communities and broughttogether schools and partner organisations.

Raising cultural awareness


DCSFThe Department has created a range of guidance andresources on community cohesion, including:

• Guidance to Schools (July 2007), which sets out howschools can contribute to promoting communitycohesion and meet their new dutywww.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/Communitycohesion/Community_Cohesion_Guidance

• An online resource pack, which provides schools withpractical advice, support and examples of goodpractice to help them promote community cohesionand meet their new dutywww.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/Communitycohesion/communitycohesionresourcepack

• A toolkit to raise awareness among schools of the threat from extremist groups and the risks for young peoplewww.dcsf.gov.uk/violentextremism/toolkitforschools/index.shtml

• The School Linking Network, which provides practicalsupport to schools in setting-up links betweenschools – including independent and faith schoolsand those in different contexts – to provideopportunities for their pupils to interact with othersfrom different backgroundswww.schoolslinkingnetwork.org.uk

National College for Leadership ofSchools and Children’s ServicesThe National College has produced an onlinecommunity cohesion resource to enable school leadersto develop an awareness and understanding of thecomplex area of community engagement. The resourceaims to offer support, advice and guidance to helpimprove outcomes, consider the requirements of the21st century school vision and meet the requirements ofthe new Ofsted framework with success and confidence.www.nationalcollege.org.uk/community-cohesion

Specialist Schools and Academies TrustThe Trust has produced a toolkit and good practice case studies to support schools in promoting community cohesion.www.ssatrust.org.uk/community

National Governors’ AssociationThe National Governors’ Association has developed atraining package to support governors in meeting theduty to promote community cohesion. This can be foundat www.nga.org.uk/cohesion/

Institute of Community CohesionThe Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo) wasestablished in 2005 to provide a new approach to race,diversity and multiculturalism. iCoCo is a not-for-profitpartnership that aims to build capacity at all levels andin all local and national agencies to promote communitycohesion. Its work focuses on building positive andharmonious community relations, using applied researchto constantly develop practice and to build the capacityof all the agencies and individuals involved.www.cohesioninstitute.org.uk

Improvement and Development AgencyThis resource offers a range of guidance, advice andgood practice on community cohesion issues. It comesfrom IDeA and a range of partners working in this policy area.www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8799335

Communities and Local Government The research paper What Works in Community Cohesion was commissioned to contribute to theongoing work of Communities and Local Governmentand the Commission on Integration and Cohesion. Itconsiders ‘what works’ in terms of cohesion policy byinvestigating policy and practice in six case-study areas.www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/whatworks

OfstedLearning Together: How Education Providers PromoteSocial Responsibility and Community Cohesion (Ofsted2010) surveyed seven local authorities and 38 schools(all phases) and further education colleges to find outhow well they knew and understood their localcommunities. It reveals how they helped learners tobecome responsible citizens and make a positivecontribution to society.www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/10771/128413

Further information and resources


Fiveways and Fairmeads specialschools, Somerset

Fiveways and Fairmeads are special schools forpupils aged 4-19 with moderate or severe learningdifficulties. Pupils are drawn from a 30-mile radiusand, as a result, parents have limited opportunitiesto engage with the schools and each other. Theschools have set up a programme of monthlycoffee mornings with guest speakers, such asspeech and language therapists, who offer adviceand guidance on topics chosen by parentsthemselves. “I really enjoyed the coffee morning,”says one parent. “It was good to chat with otherparents. My son comes in by bus so there’s noopportunity to have a chat in the playground like I do at my other child’s school.”

Support for parents

Acle High School, Norfolk

Acle High School in Norfolk has 757 students aged11-16. It serves a rural area covering more than 100square miles and has always been a centre forcommunity activity. The school operates a late busservice once a week so that the 70 per cent ofstudents who travel by bus can access extendedservices. A travelling ‘roadshow’ visits all the localvillages to promote the availability of extendedservices and consult parents about their needs. The school’s open days have been particularlysuccessful in involving the wider community inlearning activities. Entry is free and includesworkshops and theatre performances on themessuch as forensic science and wildlife.

Community learning

Intergenerational community cohesion work in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton’s extended services team hasestablished excellent working relationships withlocal neighbourhood partnerships (LNPs), which havewelcomed the opportunity to work more closely withtheir local schools. Many of the intergenerationalactivities undertaken have made a hugely positiveimpact upon local communities by changing theperceptions of young and old alike.

Children from Bilston CE Primary School worked witha group of residents from Arthur Greenwood Court, aneighbouring block of high-rise flats mainly occupiedby older people. The activities began with agardening project and this has since been extendedto monthly visits by the school’s gardening group,which is working to further enhance the flats’communal area. The two groups also made birdboxes together for the school’s eco project and theelderly residents continue to support these activities.

Tettenhall LNP created the Little Environment Group (LEG) with its local schools and community,initially in reaction to the possible loss of an area ofwoodland. This intergenerational group grew veryquickly and gained funding to enable it to deliverenvironmental projects across local woodland areas.LEG has been successful in delivering joint woodlandprojects with schools, including building and erectingbird boxes and planting trees.

Two hundred and fifty children, including pupils fromthe local special school, also took part in a verysuccessful environmental art project. Prizes andcertificates were awarded in all the activities but,more importantly, new projects are being plannedand are eagerly anticipated by community membersof all ages.

Positive intergenerational activities


Westleigh cluster, Wigan

The Westleigh cluster is based in Leigh, Wigan, aformer mining community with high levels ofdeprivation. The cluster – which includes one highschool and six primaries – runs a holiday scheme thatoffers a wide range of activities for children andfamilies. In summer 2009, more than 750 childrenaged four to 16 and 100 adults took part. Each school in the cluster was offered a set number ofplaces, with priority going to the families with thegreatest need.

The cluster used funding from the extended servicesdisadvantage subsidy to support these families, forexample, by helping to pay for daytrips. The schemeas a whole, and the use of the subsidy in particular,has given children and families the chance to share in activities that would not otherwise be available to them.

Many of the scheme activities were based atWestleigh High School, the cluster’s lead school. Inaddition to the holiday scheme, the school’s facilitiesare used extensively by parents and the community,seven days a week, throughout the year. There is awide range of adult and community learning classeson offer and sports facilities are fully booked by local clubs.

The school believes that opening up its services tothe community has made a positive impact on manyaspects of its work and performance. Previouslyjudged by Ofsted to be failing (pre-1997), WestleighHigh had suffered significant problems withvandalism and crime and its roll was falling. Now, theschool is oversubscribed and academic standardshave never been higher. Community use has helpedpromote positive awareness of the school amonglocal people and Westleigh High is now recognisedand valued for its role at the heart of the community.

Family holiday scheme

Kirklees Council

Kirklees is the ninth most segregated metropolitanauthority in the UK. Children growing up there arelikely to find themselves living and learning alongsidemembers of the same ethnic group. “It’s not thatKirklees isn’t diverse,” says David Raven-Hill ofKirklees Council, “but there is a tendency for peopleto live in monocultural communities.”

In 2003, a linking project was set up to bring schoolstogether and give pupils the opportunity to learnabout diversity at first hand. Initially, projects ran fora half-term or term but they have been so successfulthat each one now lasts a year. Typically, groups of

pupils meet half a dozen times and 54 local schoolsare currently involved.

Schools that express an interest in the project and state how they believe linking will benefit themare then given training and support. “The programmeis constantly evolving,” says David Raven-Hill.“We’re bringing together schools with pupils fromdifferent socio-economic backgrounds as well asdifferent ethnic origins. Parents get involved, too. We want it to be about community cohesion in thebroadest sense.”

Bringing schools together

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