Heads Up for Community Cohesion

On Friday 6 June 2008, Swindon Borough Council held a successful conference for local schools on how to promote community cohesion.

The aim of the day was to

• Highlight good practice that is already happening both locally and nationally
• Highlight key messages for preparing for Ofsted inspection on the duty to promote community cohesion
• Offer opportunities and solutions to getting started with the duty.

Most schools in Swindon were represented with over 100 delegates in attendance.

The Lead Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, Cllr. Colin Lovell said

"I’m delighted to see this level of interest from our schools. It is clear from what we have heard today that Swindon has some excellent examples of good practice in promoting community cohesion. This is an important issue for all us and our continued efforts of working in partnership and in schools will enable us to achieve and sustain safe and strong communities in Swindon."

Keynote speakers were Kenny Frederick from George Green School, Tower Hamlets, London and Peter Limm, HMI from Ofsted.

Slides from the presentations made at this event are available using the link in the box on the top right of this page.

Conference feedback indicated that over 95% judged the event to be really informative and well worth attending. Information about what was happening locally was particularly well received.

Key documents associated with the event

All the following documents are in Adobe PDF format.

Our Schools Checklist – top tips for getting started  (PDF 59kb)

A Guide for School Governors..(PDF 311kb)

How community cohesion fits into the curriculum  (PDF 32kb)

How Eco Schools connects with community cohesion (PDF 69kb)

The contribution of faith to community cohesion (Icoco Toolkit)  (PDF 81kb)

For further information about this event or community cohesion work in Swindon generally, contact:

The Community Support Team
Community Directorate
Swindon Borough Council
4th floor
Premier House
Station Road
Swindon, SN1 1TZ

Tel: 01793 466418
Email: PHarrison@swindon.gov.uk