Schools Linking Network

School linking is a vehicle for exploring issues of identity, equality, diversity and cohesion and supports schools in fulfilling the new duty to contribute to community cohesion.

It supports the development of joint projects between two diverse schools (e.g. urban/rural, Diverse BME/mainly white pupils’ population, different faith denominations, disabled and non-disabled pupils etc…) giving pupils from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to meet and learn together.

The Schools Linking Network in Bucks

Buckinghamshire County Council has signed up to this exciting project to support the schools across the County. The SLN strategic (Yvette Thomas) and operational (Muriel Alleaume) leads will be supporting the Forty (40) schools which will be taking part in this initial programme starting in September 2009.

For more information about Schools Linking Network, please read What is the Schools Linking Project? and Key Benefits of taking part in the Schools Linking Project and contact:

Yvette Thomas or Muriel Alleaume on 01296 387483 or email malleaume@buckscc.gov.uk

Examples of linked schools' projects

 Schools Linking Network and the Curriculum

Resources supporting Schools Linking Network

Please find a list of books and online free resources which can support your activity and Schools Linking Network project.

Supportive resources

Supporting Schools to meet their duty to promote Community Cohesion

A new education project entitled: Who Do We Think We Are?  was recently launched to engage primary and secondary school teachers in the exploration of identity, diversity and citizenship, at a range of scales, with pupils in their school and at local and national levels. The project draws on a range of subject areas including geography, history, citizenship and religious education to provide teachers with guidance, expertise and ideas on how best they can engage their pupils and local communities in an exploration of their interconnectedness and, most crucially, how they can answer the question: What makes us who we are and why?

The ‘Who Do You Think We Are?’ website publishes case studies about successful educational projects involving groups of children and young people exploring their identity and cultural diversity.

The exercises encourage active and creative learning outside the classroom and held in different community-based settings such as arts; heritage; school-to-school linking; twinning initiatives; partnership/exchange programmes involving young people with their teachers.

The website has a ‘Reflective Learning Journeys’ page which explores modules of previously piloted school work/learning programmes in a specific year group, or group of young people such as 'gifted and talented'; EAL (English as an additional language) students

Also on the website are links to learning resources by subject areas and many toolkits and guides that can support you and your school in promoting Community Cohesion.

Continuing Professional Development

Schools Linking Network aims to give opportunities for adults, who work with children and young people, to share good practice, increase their understanding of the issues of identity and community cohesion and to broaden their perspectives.

In 2006, Schools Linking Network reported that only 36% of the teachers they delivered training to felt that they were well equipped to teach in multicultural schools. Furthermore, many teachers did not feel confident to deal with controversial issues (SLN 2008).

Schools taking part in the Schools Linking Project in Buckinghamshire will need to identify at least one person within their school to lead on the project.

Three Continuing Profressional Development training (CPDs) will be offered to each school as part of this project to support their skills and confidence in regard to promoting community cohesion.

The three Continuing Professional Development days will also give schools the opportunity to share their experiences and good practice with other schools in Buckinghamshire throughout this first year of the programme in the County.

Schools Linking CPDs are aimed at the nominated SLN lead for each school, but will also be opened to other relevant parties who will also support the project (i.e. SENCO, Governors, Teacher Assistant etc... as appropriate to your school).

There will be one Continuing Professional Development day per term, all will need to be attended by the school, in order to support each phase of the project.

The first CPD has taken place on 05 October 2009, at Green Park Centre, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Coach House between 9.00 am and 4.30 pm.

The second CPD has taken place on 11 January 2010, at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre, Great Missenden, between 9.00 am and 4.30 pm.

The third CPD will take place on 22 April 2010, at Green Park, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Coach House between 9.00 am and 4.30 pm.

National guidance, Toolkits and Audit Tools

Please find below some links to relevant guidances, including toolkits and Audit tools supporting your school's in regard to meeting the duty to promote Community Cohesion.

Inspecting Community Cohesion: Ofsted's expectations

Inspection can be built around three minimum expectations:

• the school should have developed an understanding about the communities it serves
• it should be using that understanding to plan and take actions to promote Community Cohesion
• through evaluation, it should know that its actions are having an impact which extend beyond the school itself.

As part of this it should:

• be addressing each of the strands of ethnicity, faith and soci-economic status
• have a school community that is cohesive itself.

Typically, inspectors may:

• look at data from the school's self-evaluation, CONTEXT data, national test and exam data
• use these to identify issues about e.g. ethnicity, deprivation, attendance of groups, other indicators
• talk with school leaders about their understanding of the issues, actions and their evaluation of impact which must extend outside of the school itself.

Inspectors will establish if:

• leaders understand the duty
• leaders know school and local community issues
• planned actions at least address local needs
• the curriculum is making a contribution
• the school promotes understanding and meaningful interaction between groups
• learners feel they 'get on with' other communities and share common values
• leaders have an accurate understanding of the impact of the school's work and how it might improve
• all groups are integrated into life of school/community
• learners demonstrate understanding, appreciation and trust.

What else should school leaders be doing?

Taking account of pupils' and parents' views - inspectors will need data about how far people feel they 'get on with' other communities in order to judge impact.

The school will not be judged according to conditions in local communities, but according to what it is contributing.

Examples cited as good practice by Ofsted

• "We offer outreach and work in Partnership with other services eg Barnados, Health Services, to identify hard to reach families in the communities who aren't accessing our services and invest time in establishing trusting relationships".
• "We proactively recruit members of community or work with parents or other providers to break down barriers we experience with certain groups. For example in 2007 our monitoring indicated we had lower levels of engagement with our Afro-Caribbean families. A member of staff met with this group of parents to explicitly explore the barriers they were experiencing. We no longer have this as an issue".
• "Within our community we actively engage with cultural events eg art exhibitions, activities associated with Refugee Week, Black History Week. We have a policy for festivals and celebrations and as part of this have a wonderful food sharing parties which engage all our extended families and are always really successful. Last year we spent time at our Learning Centre exploring a Somali tent and looking at photos of life in rural Somalia. Our Somali support worker was keen to ensure this didn't result in stereotyping and led discussions about Somali city life".
• "We take the children on regular visits to the park, city, farm, railways station, docks, theatre etc... as well as our weekly trips to the local library and sport facility". (Note from Ofsted: the planning for a variety of activities, range might also include different faith sites).
• The Head Teacher attends the local residents' association meetings and works closely with the wider community to improve the local area".
• "The school has developed a partnership with another school which has learners from a wider variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. The Year 5 children from each school are working together on a variety of projects. The aim is to promote common identities and values and to breakdown barriers between communities".

Also mentioned as good practice:

• Assemblies delivered by Head Teacher to all year groups on celebrating diversity
• any racist and homophobic incidents are logged internally, details of which are also forwarded to the Local Authority giving details of how the incidents were resolved and wether those involved were satisfied with the outcomes
• over 50 students have completed the Equality and Diversity online learning course
• providing a good induction programme to welcome parents into school to prevent barriers as the child enters school.

Other examples of good practice in Secondary schools:

• New Curriculum across RE, PHSE and Citizenship 'Living together in the UK'
• a Catholic school monitors the views of Muslim and Hindu pupils about shared values
• a school has set up a 'Science in nature' resource to work with pupils from other schools with very different ethnic mixes
• a school uses seating plans in Year 7 to create new friendship groups which cross ethnic boundaries
• school has set up a specific project to support traveller families who stay in the district for only short periods

Schools taking part in the Schools Linking Network Project

Bearbrook Combined School & North Marston CofE School

Oak Green  School & Great Horwood CofE School

Chenies School & Dorney Combined School

Oakley CofE School & Oakridge School

Bierton CofE Combined School & Haydon Abbey School

Highworth Combined School & St Mary and All Saints CofE School

Tylers Green First School & The Marsh School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School & Frieth CofE Combined School

Great kimble CofE School & Haddenham Community Junior School

High Ash CofE Combined School & Disraeli School

Booker Hill School & John Hampden School

Hannah Ball Infant School & Radnage CofE Infant School & Speen CofE School

Ash Hill Primary School & Chalfont St Giles School

Ickford Combined School & Hamilton Primary School

Chesham Park Community College & The Beaconsfield School

Princes Risborough School & St Bernard Catholic School

Maplewood School & The Downley School

Tilehouse School & Juniper Hill School

Holtspur & High Wycombe CofE School