Community involvement
PDF file: Being Well - Doing Well (1033KB) includes working with communities as a key characteristic of health promoting schools:
It is vitally important that health promoting schools are seen as an essential part of delivering health improvement within the community.
A range of other national guidelines and initiatives recommend that schools effectively engage with and provide facilities for the local community. These include Integrated Community Schools (formerly New Community Schools, Scottish Office, 1998), the National Priorities in School Education (Scottish Executive, 2000) - for more information see Key initiatives – and The 21st Century School (Scottish Executive, 2003) - see School buildings for more details.
Why engage with the community?
The potential benefits from engaging with the community are:
- a reduction in crime and violence in the community
- overall improved health within families
- better access to services and resources that might not otherwise be readily available
- more productive partnerships between schools, parents and the wider community (see Annex 1: Benefits of Full Service Schools [USA] within New Community Schools Prospectus).
Early evaluation of the New Community Schools programme has demonstrated that engaging with the community has led to:
- some vulnerable young people and adults pursuing further education courses
- innovative youth work activities aimed at reducing crime and drugs
- the development of greater links between schools and local voluntary and community organisations (see Insight 7, Key Findings from the National Evaluation of the New Community Schools Pilot Programme in Scotland).
What can schools do?
Schools can become involved in a range of activities with the local community. Some examples are given below.
Curricular programmes
Health education programmes can be designed to reflect local issues. By making learning reflective of local community issues, pupils will be more likely to engage and learn about the topic. For example, pupils could undertake community-based research on local drug issues as part of the drug education programme.
This approach is recommended in national guidelines:
Most effective drug education approaches adopt methods of learning and teaching which involve pupils' active participation…and work with others in the wider community.
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Cross generational projects
Positive relationships between pupils and older people can be enhanced by cross-generational projects. Learning can be more realistic, relevant and fun. The process can be two ways. For example older people can help pupils to get a real insight into life in the past for a school history project. Pupils can develop a range of personal skills by teaching IT skills to local elderly forums.
Providing community based classes
The Community Education Service can provide advice and support in setting up classes for the local community in your school. Examples of courses, which could be run, include literacy skills, computing, first aid and parenting skills. Fitness classes could be organised by the Sports Development Team. Pupils and parents could be invited to participate in these classes and this can help to strengthen links between the school and wider community.
Community events
Schools could become involved in community events. This could range from participating in local celebrations or displaying pupil artwork at a local gallery to influencing the community planning process.
Read about how Caol Primary School contributes to local art exhibitions on the Room 13 website. Read about how a Tayside school contributed to a local flower festival by going to the Forum 26 Newsletter.
Tips for getting started
- Make contact with your local community education team: they will be able to help with resources and sources of support.
- Choose a fun event as a starter for opening your doors to the community. This could be linked to festivals and holidays, such as a summer picnic with a healthy eating theme, or a ceilidh on Burns Night.
- Use these events as ways of engaging with the community and finding out what they would like the school to provide. The events are also a good way to promote taster workshops; popular ones include cookery classes and computing classes.
- Any materials for distributing to the community should take account of literacy or language needs. Your local adult literacy team can help.
- Your local press can help with publicising and promoting the school's links with the community.
