Teaching, learning and curriculum
With regard to the duty to promote community cohesion, schools have a responsibility to help children and young people to learn to understand others, value diversity, develop an awareness of human rights and learn the skills of participation and responsible action.
A curriculum which promotes community cohesion may have a combination of the following elements:
- teaching and curriculum provision that supports high standards of attainment, promotes common values, and builds pupils' understanding of the diversity that surrounds them
- lessons across the curriculum that promote common values and help pupils to value differences and challenge prejudice and stereotyping
- a programme of curriculum based activities whereby pupils' understanding of community and diversity is enriched through fieldwork, visits and meetings with members of different communities
- support for pupils for whom English is an additional language to enable them to achieve at the highest possible level in English.
Teachernet has developed a useful audit tool for considering previous, current and future activity in this area: Teaching, learning and curriculum audit
The following resources support curriculum development in this area:
Citizenship Key Stages 1 and 2, Living in a diverse world, QCA
Citizenship Key Stage 3, Britain a diverse society, QCA
Citizenship Key Stage 4, Challenging racism and discrimination, QCA
Developing community cohesion through citizenship
The QCA has launched resources to support KS3 and 4 teachers to consider the themes of identity and cultural diversity in the new secondary curriculum. There is also a useful planning tool for teachers incorporating this dimension.
i-Kooch, a learning resource around the theme of migration
Oxfam, support for teachers handling sensitive and controversial issues
2012 Olympics: Get Set Education programme
Snapshots
The following snapshots demonstrate good practice in the Teaching, learning and curriculum area in Northumberland schools:
