| The Education and Inspections Act 2006 introduced a duty on all maintained schools in England to promote community cohesion and on Ofsted to report on the contributions made in this area. The duty on schools came into effect from September 1 2007 and the duty on Ofsted will commence in September 2008. |
Following the recent roadshow of nine regional conferences to help schools understand and implement the duty, iCoCo has been commissioned by DCSF to develop an online resource guide which will aim to be a 'one stop shop' for schools on cohesion matters. This comprehensive resource has now been published and can be found here. See also conference papers and presentations and guidance for schools.
Schools and cohesion - see our latest toolkit! A comprehensive online resource pack, developed by iCoCo for DCSF, provides schools with the tools required to meet the new duty to promote cohesion. See the full pack on TeacherNet...
Alveena Malik, iCoCo's Associate for Education, comments on the new duty on schools in 'Sticking Together', published in SecEd on 26th June 2008. Read the full article here...
Ted Cantle comments on the state of diversity and integration in the UK. His article Diversity, integration and engagement: the way forward, posted on 2nd July, discusses the impact of population 'churn' on communities and the critical role of local authorities in leading and shaping their communities. See full article...
Tackling extremism: monitoring local tension
Andy Sykes, anti-racist campaigner and former BNP organiser presents the first in our series of masterclasses, which will take place at 10am on Thursday 17th July 2008. It will consider basic strategies, plans and ways of working to form the foundations for preventing tensions in local communities. More information...
Ground breaking report highlights the wide diversity of Britain's Muslim community. The report, Understanding and appreciating Muslim diversity: towards better engagement and participation, sets out a model that highlights religious and ethnic diversity. It illustrates where these intersect to influence the establishment of local leadership structures and networks.
This year sees the launch of the Awards for Bridging Cultures. The ABCs will reward local schemes and projects run by grass roots, community and voluntary organisations that help to build bridges between local communities. The ABCs will also reward companies that can demonstrate their support for voluntary sector projects or schemes which promote intercultural dialogue, either by helping to initiate projects or by providing ongoing financial or other support.
The ABCs are funded by The Baring Foundation and delivered by the Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo). For more information, visit www.bridgingcultures.org.uk
