To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to assist schools with the promotion of community cohesion since 1997. (191892)

Good schools, through improvements to their teaching and learning; and through work to narrow achievement gaps and engagement with the community, have been developing an understanding and appreciation of others among their pupils and preparing them for active participation in a diverse society,

The Education and Inspections Act 2006 placed a new duty to promote community cohesion on the governing body of maintained schools in England, which came into effect from 1 September 2007. Guidance to schools on the new duty was issued in July 2007. Ofsted plan to inspect schools against this duty from September 2008 as part of school inspections.

Furthermore, we launched the Schools Linking Network on 3 October 2007 to support schools in linking with other schools and encourage interaction between pupils from different backgrounds A national conference and nine regional conferences were held to raise awareness of the duty. Currently, we are developing a resource pack to provide further practical support for schools in meeting the duty.