Over 100 education specialists from all over the country have attended a special conference to celebrate Waltham Forest’s Beacon Status for the Promotion of Community Cohesion.

The “Promoting Cohesion through Schools Conference”, held at Kelmscott School, Leyton, was organised jointly by Waltham Forest Council and Babcock and included a series of keynote presentations and workshops to highlight the work taking place in Waltham Forest schools to promote cohesion and tackle difficult subjects such as extremism, racism and homophobia.

The conference was opened by The Head Boy and Head Girl of Kelmscott School, who described first hand how cohesion has been promoted within their school and how they have benefited as a result.

The Conference was also delighted to welcome Keynote Speaker Sir Keith Ajegbo, author of Diversity and Citizenship’(2007), who highlighted the importance of Citizenship Studies within the curriculum and the issues that can arise within schools which can hinder cohesion, such as religious extremism and socio-economic deprivation. Sir Keith praised Waltham Forest for its success in tackling these 21st Century issues within the classroom.

Delegates attended a number of workshops throughout the day, focusing on topics such the role of young people in creating cohesion and the initiatives within our schools which have been awarded ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED.

Bill Lyttle, Chief Adviser, Babcock said,

"I would like to congratulate and thank colleagues in Waltham Forest and Babcock for organising such a successful conference. Community Cohesion is key to ensuring all our children feel safe and valued within the wider community as well as in schools.

We are lucky to work within a strong network of Headteachers and the Council, who share our goal of aiming to provide the best opportunities for all our children, both now and in the future. Sharing good practise has been and will remain key in creating a strong community and I am delighted to have been a part of doing this again today ”

The Head Boy and Head Girl of Kelmscott School