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<p>Education plays a vital role in promoting integration and preparing our children
and young people for life in a modern and diverse Britain.</p><p>All schools must
promote community cohesion and are required to actively promote our shared values
of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance
for those of different faiths and beliefs. Promotion of these values is part of Ofsted’s
inspection framework and the department has published guidance to schools on promoting
these important values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Schools are also required to comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act
2010.</p><p>In 2016, the department also launched the Educate Against Hate website,
through which we continue to provide free resources for teachers and school leaders
to support their promotion of these values. This includes the department’s Respectful
School Communities toolkit; a self-review and signposting tool to support schools
to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, helping
to combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind.</p><p>The department also
funds a number of specific initiatives to support schools in addressing these issues.
This includes the provision of over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016
and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations, to support schools to tackle bullying
– including projects focused on targeted bullying of particular groups, such as those
who are victims of hate-related bullying, and projects which encourage children and
young people to think about the importance of tackling prejudice and discrimination.</p><p>As
part of our commitments in the Government’s Integrated Communities Action Plan, the
department is also funding an expanded national school linking programme, which seeks
to encourage meaningful social mixing between different types of schools and foster
understanding of those with different backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. In the last
year, the Linking Network has worked with over 540 schools, leading to over 22,500
pupils taking part in activities supporting integration.</p><p>As part of this same
package, the department has also strengthened expectations for all new free schools
on the promotion of community cohesion and integration, to make sure they are doing
all that they can to ensure children and young people are able to participate fully
in life in modern Britain.</p><p>The department is also introducing health education
for pupils receiving state-funded primary and secondary education, alongside relationships
education in all primary schools, and relationships and sex education (RSE) in all
secondary schools. Mental wellbeing is a core component of the new health education
curriculum, as well as being embedded in (RSE). Schools will be required to teach
about a range of issues which will be relevant to wellbeing, including bullying, respectful
relationships and online relationships.</p>
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