The Archbishop Lanfranc School

Context

A cohesive community may be defined as one where: “There is a clearly defined and widely shared sense of the contribution of different individuals and different communities to a future vision for a neighbourhood, city, region or country.” Community cohesion therefore means working towards a society in which:

• there is a common vision and sense of belonging by all communities
• the diversity of people’s backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and valued
• similar life opportunities are available to all
• strong and positive relationships exist and continue to be developed in the workplace, in schools and in the wider community

For The Archbishop Lanfranc School, the term “community” has a number of dimensions including:

• the school community – the children and young people we serve, their parents, carers and families, the school’s staff and governing body, and community users of the school’s facilities and services
• the community within which the school is located – the school in its geographical community and the people who live or work in that area, including not just to the immediate neighbourhood but also the Croydon local authority area
• the UK community – our school is by definition part of this community
• the global community – formed by EU and international links

The Archbishop Lanfranc School has also contributed to the creation of its own communities – for example:

• the networks formed with a variety of schools working collaboratively in clusters or in other models of partnership
• by providing extended services for the local community
• via the wide range of joint and partnership work with other local service providers
• by playing a prominent role in the Local Delivery Partnership (LDP) which forms part of Croydon Council’s Community Strategy

Practice

The Archbishop Lanfranc School:

• designs its programmes to recognise where all strands of the equalities agenda – including gender, sexual orientation, disability and age – are interconnected with the aspiration to promote community cohesion
• appreciates that the main focus of its duty is cohesion across different cultures, ethnic, religious or nonreligious and socio-economic groups
• promotes equality of opportunity and inclusion for different groups of pupils within the school
• promotes shared values and encourages its pupils to actively engage with others to understand what they all hold in common
• accepts its responsibility for equipping its pupils to live and thrive alongside people from many different backgrounds
• recognises that external factors shape the lives of pupils, including their parents or carers, families and the wider community, and responsibility for community cohesion lies with them too - any approach to community cohesion needs to take into account these factors and requires the involvement of local partners and other organisations
• offers a safe environment for pupils and community members to work respectfully together
• delivers programmes to both pupils and parents which promote healthy choices

The school’s contribution to community cohesion can be grouped as follows:

• Teaching, learning and 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
• Equity 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
• Engagement and extended services – 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
• Local community support – the school supports and encourages school admissions from the immediate community. Relations with local residents are strengthened by positive interaction between staff, school governors and safer neighbourhood officers.

February 2009