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Introducing the GTC Networks.
Good teaching needs good networks and good networks need good teachers.
The GTC Networks provide support by linking teachers nationally and putting them in touch with the latest research and evidence. They let teachers have a voice at national debates on changes to education.
Duty to promote community cohesion
A new duty for schools to promote community cohesion has now come into force.
This new duty was established by the Education and Inspections Act 2006. It came into force on 1 September 2007, and was an addition to schools’ existing equality duties.
The Act also requires Ofsted to inspect and report on the contribution that schools make to community cohesion and this will happen from September 2008.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has produced guidance on implementing the duty which provides information on community cohesion and how it relates to what schools do.
What should schools do?
All schools, whatever their mix of children and young people, are responsible for helping them all to live and thrive alongside people from a variety of backgrounds. Schools need to:
- provide opportunities for interaction between pupils from different backgrounds
- consider how aspects of their work already support integration and community harmony
- review what has worked so far, and consider if there’s scope for a stronger focus on the impact of their activities on community cohesion
- consider how the community cohesion duty could contribute to promoting children’s well-being and help to deliver the Every Child Matter outcomes.
Further information
The full version of the guidance is available from Teachernet.
At its annual reception in March, Achieve will be discussing this new duty. To find out more and to register your place, visit the conference website.
Read about the Runnymede Trust’s research on faith schools and community cohesion.
