Schools, community education and collaborative practice in Scotland

Schools are envisaged as playing a key role in the current UK government’s policy to promote social inclusion among children and young people in particular and in tackling social exclusion in general. The Social Inclusion Strategy for Scotland stresses that: ‘the Government is investing heavily in programmes to promote inclusion among school-age children, including New Community Schools, Early Intervention Schemes, Alternatives to Exclusion from School and Family Literacy’ (Scottish Office 1999a: 7). Furthermore, it is recognised that schools on their own cannot solve the problems associated with social exclusion. The longterm objective is to develop ways of working which integrate programmes not just within government, but at all levels of action right down to local neighbourhoods and communities (Scottish Office 1999b: 1). Thus schools are expected to work with other agencies both to prevent social exclusion taking place and to help reintegrate those who have been socially excluded into mainstream society.