Reclaiming London Together - faith response to the 2011 London disturbances

I promised to write something to cover my reflections on the Reclaiming London Together event on Monday 5th March 2012. Fayre Share Foundation and the Faiths Forum for London brought together people from the main 9 faith communities in the capital - to promote collaboration for London's young people after the 2011 disturbances.

The photo provided is of Boris Johnson - who delivered the first of three keynote addresses. Others included Camila Batmanghelidjh from Kids Company and the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark.

The event combined panel discussions, drama, breakout groups and presentations.

For me there were several important points - but the two facts that stood out were:

66% of those convicted have special educational needs

Less than 50% were young people.

This latter point conflicts with the oft reported view that the disturbances represented youth dissatisfaction and criminality. Most of those convicted were adults.

I asked the panel for their reflections on the SEN situation - how have we failed young people with difficulties to this extent? There was no real sense that this is being examined - or that doing so could prompt earlier interventions that could prevent this situation from recurring. It is at this point that links emerge with other findings at other events - and also from personal experience from local projects.

Last month I attended a conference in Surrey for SENCOs - and Jean Gross spoke of her role as champion for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. She is a strong advocate of whole school approaches to the development of communication skills, for all children - not just those identified with particular difficulties. These are the fundamental building blocks for children - to learn how to express themselves verbally, to develop sensitivity to other's communicative intent and to work co-operatively together on shared activities.

From the earliest stages - supporting parents to communicate with their babies before the onset of language, creating play spaces in toddler groups and nurseries where communication is encouraged and nurtured, delivering the school curriculum through interaction with pupils - so that their responses outweigh the teacher's verbal input. All these strands make absolute common sense.

If you can equip children and young people with the skills to express themselves verbally - then they are less likely to become frustrated and use physical means to make their point. If you encourage sensitivity to others, and an awareness of intent and impact - then you get a better understanding of your own position and of ways to influence and change your situation. If you promote co-operation then you achieve a real valuing of diversity.

Local evidence from a youth justice reparation project reveals high levels of ADHD and language and communication disorders amongst young offenders. Another project delivering pre-exclusion work in schools, to help those at risk of exclusion to manage their anger and anxiety, also reports difficulties in communication. This project now employs a speech and language therapist to assess, and develop individual programmes.

Is it just me or is this obvious?

Invest in language, communication and social skills from pre-school, and throughout the education system - and you should be able to put strategies and interventions in place that reduce the number of exclusions, bring down the numbers in the youth justice system, and increase engagement in the democratic process.

I'm not saying that we eradicate all language and communication difficulties in this way - far from it. There will continue to be those who have pervasive, substantial and permanent impairments - but we can at least create supportive educational environments that respond and include such children and young people, and enable targeting of resources.

We have a fabulous opportunity as Free Schools and Academies start from a clean slate, and create new educational environments. I would love to think that someone out there is knitting all these elements together, making sense of them and acting on them. If you are that person - or know someone who is - then do get in touch!