About us

SLN is a social enterprise with the skills and experience to support, establish and operate successful community cohesion work, as expected in the new duty on schools and Local Authority national indicators..

SLN was established in 2007 at the request of the DCSF and the Pears Foundation, due to a successful reputation of school linking and related community cohesion work in Bradford since 2001 and in Tower Hamlets since 2006. School linking provides rich experiential learning supported by reflective practice.

Our experience is based on the training, guidance, support and resources we have provided to over 30 Local Authorities to date. Additionally SLN is currently working with 250 more schools across England and continues to provide direct support to 100 schools in the Bradford district.

Evidence of SLN’s work and its successful track record has been highlighted in two key reports to Central Government:

The Diversity and the Curriculum Review produced by Sir Keith Ajegbo in January 2007.

Our Shared Futures: Report of the Commission on, produced by DCLG

SLN also supports individual school-to-school links through our online linking tool, The National Gateway, which helps schools to form partnerships with other schools in England.

We are inviting all schools interested in finding partner schools in England to register on the new National Gateway on this site. Here, schools will be supported with free CPD and resources by us, and put in touch with partner schools within their area or in a different part of England.

This site offers support for school linking within the UK in the following ways:

  • Through strategic development of local authority work with school linking.
  • Direct school-to-school linking across the country via the National Gateway.
  • By providing resources, courses and advice for anyone interested in the way school linking can support active citizenship and greater understanding of issues of identity and diversity.