What is Community Cohesion? 

Community cohesion 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. 

Why is “Community Cohesion” important for schools? 

Communities can provide schools with a context and environment that can either complement and reinforce the values, culture, and learning the schools provide for their students or negate everything the schools strive to accomplish. 

How our school contributes  towards community cohesion 

Our contribution to community cohesion can be grouped under the three following headings: 

• Teaching, learning and curriculum – to teach pupils to understand others, to promote common values and to value diversity, to promote awareness of human rights, democracy, individual liberty and mutual respect. We also develop the children’s understanding through the Personal, Social and Emotional Curriculum. As well as develop the children Spiritually, Morally, Socially and Culturally.
• Equity and excellence – to ensure equal opportunities for all to succeed at the highest level possible, removing barriers to access and participation in learning and wider activities and eliminating variations in outcomes for different groups. 
• Engagement and ethos – to provide a means for children, young people and their families to interact with people from different backgrounds and build positive relations, including links with different schools and communities locally, across the country and internationally. 

A central aspect of our work in developing community cohesion is to consider how different aspects of our work already support integration and community harmony; to take stock of what has worked well so far. We also consider where there may be scope to improve our existing work through a more explicit focus on the impact of activities on community cohesion.