Community Cohesion Policy
1. Introduction
1.1 Context
Since September 2007, all maintained schools in England have a duty to promote community cohesion.
New education requirements are that the governing body of a maintained school shall, in discharging their functions relating to the conduct of the school:
- (a) promote the well-being of pupils at the school, and
- (b) in the case of a school in England, promote community cohesion.
From 1 September 2008, HMCI has a duty under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 to inspect and report on the contribution made by schools to community cohesion.
1.2 What is Community Cohesion?
Extract from DCSF Guidance on the duty to promote community cohesion
'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.'
1.3 Policy Statement
The College is committed to promoting community cohesion to enable the members of its community, namely students, staff, parents, carers, governors and users of the College facilities to share a common vision and a sense of belonging. We support diversity and actively encourage members of our community to recognise, appreciate and value differences. We are totally committed to inclusion and ensuring equal opportunities for all to succeed to the highest level and aim to remove barriers to access and participation in learning and other activities. We also seek to provide opportunities for groups from the wider community to take part in activities within the College which promote positive interaction and achievement. We accept the importance of the different dimensions of the community and aim for members of our college community to understand these and their place within them, namely: the College community, the local community, Devon, Britain and the global community.
1.4 College's Perspective of Community
The term 'community' has a number of different dimensions in relation to the College:
- the College community – the young people it serves, their parents, carers and families, the College staff and governors, the community users of the College facilities and service. Recognising the importance of promoting a sense of belonging to and pride in our College; helping each other; developing our potential friendships and valuing relationships with one another; ensuring equal opportunities for all to succeed at the highest possible level and removing barriers to learning and participation.
- the local community – building partnerships with our local community in order to enrich our students' experiences through welcoming visitors from the local community, participating in local events, encouraging members of the community to attend key College events, working with local agencies and organisations on community projects, promoting the use of the College's buildings and facilities for the benefit of the local community.
- Devon – promoting links with other schools in the County through sport, dance, drama; encouraging networking and sharing good practice amongst staff across the County; raising awareness and appreciation of the local environment and an understanding of its particular issues.
- the community of Great Britain - enabling our students through the taught curriculum, extra curricular activities and other areas of College life to build their knowledge and understanding of the diversity of life in the UK and using resources which enrich this understanding; developing meaningful school links with schools in other parts of the UK.
- the Global Community - enabling students to develop their understanding of global diversity, their role as global citizens and the awareness and appreciation of differences and similarities between countries and cultures through the taught curriculum, visits abroad and contact with visitors from abroad; developing links and teacher exchange visits with schools in other countries and promoting our existing partnerships with schools in Asia, Africa and Europe.
The College promotes Community cohesion through:
- Teaching and Learning and the Curriculum
- Equity and Excellence
- Engagement and Ethos
and believes community cohesion should enable all our students and members of the community to ask and explore three key questions:
- Who am I?
- Who are we?
- Where do I (and we) belong?
We understand that there are important factors which figure in everyone's life to enable us to answer these key questions and to feel valued and appreciated in our community, namely:
- Faith
- Gender
- Race
- Sexuality
- Socio Economic background
We fully support an inclusive approach to learning and take seriously the five learning dimensions of Every Child Matters, namely:
- Being healthy
- Staying safe
- Enjoyment and achievement
- Positive contributors
- Economic well being
1.5 Strands and Dimensions
The strands and dimensions of community cohesion can be represented as follows:
View full size diagram (376k pdf document)
2. Teaching and Learning and the Curriculum
"Helping children and young people 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 – for example through the new 'Identity and Diversity: living together in the UK' strand within citizenship education" Extract from DCSF Guidance on the duty to promote community cohesion
We need to ensure that we provide:
- lessons across the curriculum which promote common values and help students to value differences and challenge prejudices and stereotyping; students should have opportunities to explore identity and diversity and understand what it means to be part of the College, the UK, EU and the world;
- teaching and curriculum provision that supports high standards of attainment, promotes common values and builds students' understanding of the diversity that surrounds them;
- a programme of curriculum based activities whereby students' understanding of community and diversity is enriched through fieldwork, visits and meetings with members of different communities;
- support for students for whom English is an additional language to enable them to achieve at the highest possible level in English
- an effective student voice and involvement of students in the organisation of the College so that they learn to participate and make a difference in College, their local community and beyond
3. Equality 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."
We need to ensure that:
- we are committed to securing high standards of attainment for all students from all backgrounds, of differing faiths, gender, race, sexuality and socio economic background ensuring that all students are treated with respect and supported to achieve their full potential;
- we use the College data tracking system effectively to evaluate the progress of different groups and to tackle underperformance by any particular group;
- we respond appropriately to incidents of prejudice, bullying and harassment and monitor trends to ensure no group of student is excluded or disciplined more than others and if so, what procedures and policies are in place to deal with this;
- the College Admissions Policy is followed in order to promote community cohesion and social equity
4. Engagement and Ethos
"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; the provision of extended services; and 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."
We need to ensure we contribute to community cohesion by:
- providing opportunities for children and young people to interact with people from different backgrounds and build positive relationships;
- using extended services and working in partnership with local community groups and the 'Third Sector' (non-governmental organisations) to provide opportunities for students, families and the wider community to participate in activities;
- utilising and developing services which build positive interaction and achievement for all groups.
5. Implementing the Policy – the Role of Governors
The Governing Body is legally responsible for ensuring the promotion of community cohesion and the Principal is responsible for ensuring duties are fulfilled within the College. The policy will be ratified by the Governors Curriculum Committee and reviewed and updated on an annual basis. One-two members of the Curriculum Committee will also be invited to attend Community Cohesion meetings in College. The policy will be available to staff on the intranet and to parents on request. It will be introduced to the student body through the College Council and student representatives will be invited to Community Cohesion meetings.
6. Monitoring and Evaluating the Policy
Governors and SLT will on a regular basis consider:
- the College's impact on the community – is the College challenging divisions in the community and breaking them down?
- what is the College doing to create an ethos of inclusion in which divisions and intolerance of others are unacceptable and are these strategies effective?
- is the College successfully closing the gap in achievement between all groups, especially SEN, SA, SA+, FSM etc?
- how does the College use data about bullying and racist incidents to inform provision and college development?
- does the College work with the wider community and help to bring students, parents and partners together?
- how does the College actively promote understanding and dialogue between different groups within the College community, the local, national and international community?
- how does the College engage key partners and work to break down barriers and improve communication and co-operation?
- do members of the local community and other stakeholders have a positive view of the impact of the College on community life?
7. Links with Other College Policies
- Equalities Policy
- PSHEE & Citizenship Policy
- Sex Education Policy (see Parent Handbook)
- RE Policy (see Parent Handbook)
- Bullying Policy
8. Community Links
| The College | |||
| Students | Teaching and Non Teaching Staff | Governors | Parents |
| PTA | |||
| Local | |||
| Plymouth and West Devon Talking Newspaper for the Blind | TST (Transferable Skills Training) | Tavistock Borough Council | Dartmoor National Park |
| Various Sports Groups | Tavistock Library | Tavistock Sports | Lions / Rotary (Young Chamber) |
| Residents | Tavistock Area Learning Community | Billabong | Bus Companies |
| Cakes, Bakes n' Shakes | Scouts / Guides | Banks, HSBC | Retailers |
| Stannary Brass Band | The Wharf | Tidy Tavy | Tavistock Parish Church and Tavistock Parish Centre |
| Skate Park | Tavistock Midwifery Base | Youthwize | Nurseries and Pre Schools |
| Tavistock Hospital | Youth Cafe | Master Carpenter Ben Bulllough | Royal British Legion |
| Blowzone | Community Groups | Complete Graphics Tavistock | Tavistock Town Council |
| Rotary (Youth Speaks) | CYPS Social Care - Safeguarding | In the Tree House (Graphic Design) | Meadowlands Pool |
| Air Training Cadets | Army Cadet Force | Kelly College | GPs |
| Police | School Pastors | Tavistock and District Chamber of Commerce | Young Devon |
| Primary Schools | |||
| Regional | |||
| Plymouth College of Art and Design | ShelterBox (Helston based) | West Devon Borough Council | Holdon Forest Exeter |
| DPLS (Devon Personalised Learning Service) | National Marine Aquarium | Devon Training Partnership | Plymouth University |
| Active Devon | Local Land owners and Agents including Maristow Estate | Ten Pin | Paignton Zoo |
| Various Service Companies (including Light Years, Stage Electrics, Coach Companies and Transport services) | Devon Youth Service | Okehampton College | Plymouth Crown Court and Magistrates Court |
| Derriford Hospital | Wheelie Boat Trust | Devon and Cornwall Constabulary | Trinty Sailing (Brixham) |
| Thomas Cook | Brittany Ferries | Southwest Lakes Trust (Siblyback and Roadford) | Suzanne Sparks Language |
| Devon Discovery | Local MPs | Devon County Council Youth Brass Band | DS Packaging Launceston |
| Cornwall County Council, Cornwall Outdoors | Duchy College | Devon FA | Plymouth City College |
| Princess Yachts Devonport | Armed Forces, Derrys Cross | National Lottery Heritage | Inns of Court |
| Bicton College | Connexions | Education Welfare Service | Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service |
| Marjons | Devon County Council | Ten Tors | DISS ( Devon Integrated Support Services) |
| Plymouth Federation of Children's Book Groups | Exeter University | Devon Local Authority | CYPS Specialist Education Team |
| DAISI (Arts project) | CYPS Children in Care Team |
Devon Learning and Development Partnership | |
| National | |||
| Mountain Medicine First Aid (providers in UK, Head Office in Ireland) | Print It! | Duke of Edinburgh Award | Sports England |
| CAMHS | Connexions | HSOC | 14-16 Partnership |
| The Charter School, London | Apprenticeship Matching Scheme | Royal Yachting Association (through Tall Ships. Nationally and Internationally recognised certification) | Royal Life Saving Society |
| Challenge Partners | ASTO The Association of Sail Training Organisations (The UK's National Sail Training Organisation) | British Red Cross | Design and Technology Association |
| RAF (Air Cadets) | UK Athletics | Triangle Training (First Aid) | The Football Association |
| Forestry Commission | Houses of Parliament (Local MPs) | Tall Ships. Trinity Sailing Foundation and directors of Sailing Trust (Involvement with various organisations in UK including Harbour Authorities at London, Gosport Marina, Isle of Wight, Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly, Ireland, Wales and Anglesey | England Netball |
| Sustrans The UK's leading sustainable transport charity |
RSPB | Specialist Schools and Academies Trust | |
| International | |||
| Ndeeba Senior Secondary School | Kantou Daiichi Senior High School, Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan | Nigeria | Grado, Asturias, Northern Spain |
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Page updated Tuesday, May 14, 2013