Children to pose solutions to social division

More than 600 school children will share their views on community cohesion as part of an event at Valley Parade in Bradford.

The 10 and 11-year-olds from 15 schools have been working together for three years and will now be asked the question, "how do we live well together?", as part of UK-wide project The National Conversation.

The event is part of a three-year school linking project across Bradford, in which children from different backgrounds met to help them understand and value their differences.

It has been organised by the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT) and The Linking Network, a Bradford-based national charity that works to build social cohesion.

The Linking Network co-director Linda Cowie said the organisation had connected more than 26,000 children across the country.

"This launch is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate what pupils in Bradford have already achieved, and to invite many more schools and youth organisations to create the same kind of thoughtful, safe and meaningful conversations," she said.

According to research from the British Red Cross, published in April, 75% of adults believe the UK is divided.

School subscription service VotesforSchools said the figure rose to 81.5% among children and young people under 16.

The National Conversation was launched last month by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, which was set up in the aftermath of the riots in summer 2024.

Co-chaired by Sir Sajid Javid it is examining the forces driving "disconnection and division" across the UK.

Javid said: "How we live well together is one of the defining questions of our time - and children and young people must be a core part of answering it. They are not just future citizens; they are living in, shaping and experiencing our communities right now.!

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