Religious tolerance begins with understanding

This raises questions about successfully fostering a sense of togetherness and cohesion on a local level while ensuring mutual respect has become a priority for many policymakers and practitioners.

Ted Cantle's report on community cohesion, published in 2001 in the wake of unrest in several parts of the North West, emphasised the polarisation and sometimes physical segregation between communities and the importance of developing a shared sense of belonging, particularly among young people.

Thanks to the 2006 Education and Inspections Act, schools now have a duty to promote community cohesion, or the development of a society in which there are common values, a sense of belonging and an appreciation of diversity. This was followed up recently by the government's launch of a toolkit for schools to combat extremism and promote community cohesion as part of the wider cross-government Prevent Strategy 2008, which aims to stop the spread of violent extremism. Many schools are working with partners in innovative ways to help achieve this.