CES - CES statement: Faith schools offer unique sporting support for community cohesion (29th July 2008)

�The Ripple Effect�: Faith schools offer unique sporting support for community cohesion

Faith schools with specialist sports status have been backed by the Youth Sport Trust (YST), the national charity that works to enhance the quality of young people�s lives through physical education and sporting opportunities, after a successful first national conference to celebrate and share good practice on community cohesion issues.

Community Cohesion, what does it mean for us? was organised by St Mary�s Catholic College, Hull, funded by the YST with the support of the Catholic Education Service (CES) and the Church of England. Senior leaders involved in the provision of school sport presented their distinctive vision and offered key examples of good practice on community cohesion. One initiative, an innovative Olympic-style Torch Relay in Bolton, involved local faith and community schools, families and the wider community whilst another offered a case study of local school linking and provision of Extended Services in Widnes. Ged Fitzpatrick, Headteacher at St Mary�s College, also demonstrated his school�s commitment with an inspiring account of his visit to Ghana only the previous week on the YST�s international school linking programme Dreams + Teams.

The conference showed that faith school sports colleges offered a template for good practice and delegates were urged to be more vocal about the work that they are undertaking in order to inspire others. Recent publications from the CES and the Holy See were used to emphasise that gospel values are at the heart of the promotion of community cohesion for schools with a religious character[1] as well as the positive impact sport values can have on both the local and global community[2].

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic College in Widnes, for example, showed the conference how the school has used its sports specialism to establish a shared campus with the community school on its boundary. The two schools now pool their resources and expertise to provide sporting activities for the local community, including an �Easter school� after which 61% of participating pupils stated an increase in confidence and 98% said that they would attend future activities out of school time given the opportunity.

Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton found that by building on its distinctive character as a Catholic college and the message of St John Bosco that �we find God in the playground as well as in the classroom�, paired with the core Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence, it was able to engage with the community for a hugely successful Olympic-style Torch relay.

Helen Grundy, Director of Specialism at the College, said that although the event took months of planning, it was worth the effort because of the subsequent �ripple effect�: �We had more parental support for this event than any other activity all year,� she said. �It has proved a catalyst for more parental involvement in the local primary schools and more adult learning activities at the College.�

The conference was deemed such a success that a Church of England school has already offered to host the event next year. Ged Fitzpatrick said: �we wanted to find a vehicle for demonstrating positively and proudly our conviction that promoting community cohesion is at the heart of what we do every day on many levels. The conference already has enabled us to share good practice with similar schools and we look forward to being involved in joint projects and next year's conference.�

� Community Cohesion, what does it mean for us? was held on 16th July 2008 at the National Centre for Early Music in York.

� Photographs of the various case studies and examples presented at the conference are available from the Youth Sport Trust: contact Jancis Walker, National Development Manager - Every Child Matters t: 01509 226643 e: jancis.walker@youthsporttrust.org

� The Dreams + Teams programme is a joint project between Youth Sport Trust and British Council. It provides a unique link between British school children and their counterparts around the world. The programme develops mutual understanding between countries and develops leadership skills and cross-cultural awareness in 14-18 year olds through sport and international educational links.

[1] Catholic Schools and Community Cohesion: CES Guidance (London, 2008).

[2] Holy See�s Address on the Values of Sport � delivered by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, to the 62^nd session of the United Nations General Assembly on sport for peace and development. The Most Important Thing in Life Is Not the Triumph, But the Struggle (New York, 4^th November 2007) http://www.zenit.org/article-20907?l=english.