This paper outlines the findings of a small-scale study that explores teachers’ experience of a pilot project to develop community cohesion in a town in Lincolnshire, UK. The town is home to many different communities and local studies estimate there to be approximately 15,000 – 20,000 new arrivals in the area. This has brought conflicts and tensions within the community brought about by the rapid change in population demography, not helped by negative national and local media coverage. The Parliamentary Communities and Local Government Committee (2008) noted that around a quarter of the population of the town is made up of migrant workers and their families and BVPI (Best Value Performance Indicator) data has shown that people felt the lowest level of community cohesion in the UK, at 38% (national average 82%). Building on good practice of integrating migrant workers’ children in three schools, a project was developed to make links with the wider community, culminating in a public exhibition to draw together members of the population in shared celebration. The project focused on collecting the childhood memories of local people from each decade from the 2000s back to the 1950s – centring on the common experience of enjoying popular culture - to consider similarities and differences across a range of locations in Europe. The objectives were: ·to develop an understanding and appreciation of popular culture across generations and age groups; ·to make links within the community and to value diversity; ·to promote community cohesion; ·to celebrate shared experience and to value difference. The theoretical framework considers the significant place of education in the socialisation and enculturation of children (Leistyna, 1999) and how this may be used as a catalyst for developing community cohesion beyond the boundaries of schools. This requires that teachers develop critical pedagogies as a means of promoting equity and valuing diversity (Lather, 1998; McLaren, 1998). Key to this is the need for teachers to address racism, including xeno-racism (Cole, 2008; Woolley, forthcoming 2010). By developing collaboration with people in the local community as a stimulus for learning the paper explores whether barriers between population groups can be bridged and community cohesion encouraged. The project provided the opportunity to work at a variety of levels in order to develop and promote community cohesion: · School to school · School to parents/carers and the wider community · School to community services · School to other partners

This paper presents a brief analysis of the literature relating to community cohesion in primary schools in England, making links to strategies and policies in other EU countries. It uses qualitative data gathered from a survey of teachers in primary schools involved in the exploratory pilot project. In addition it evaluates quantitative data gathered during the public exhibition to explore whether the project reached a demographic representative of the local population. The analysis provides a basis for key learning points and outcomes, which suggest core themes to support the application of the project in other contexts. The pilot project is evaluated against a second exploratory project, undertaken in a different region in England and based on the findings of the first, to generalise and complement findings and to develop wider applicability.

Evaluations of qualitative data from schools identify the impact of the project: · “Meeting with parents from other countries and backgrounds really helped the children to accept people from all walks of life.” · “A number of families attended the exhibition with their children; it gave the opportunity to celebrate achievement at a respected town venue with staff and governors and indeed the wider community.” · “The children learned how the world has changed through different decades and what it was like to grow up in different environments.” This paper identifies key learning points to support the use of the project outcomes in other settings, namely: preparation, collaboration, parity, integration and sustainability. It outlines results, analysing the responses of teachers and how those involved in the project reflected the demographic of the local population. It suggests areas for further development and application in a wide range of settings.