The discourse of community in educational policy

This article, written in the context of New Labour discourse around the significance of ‘community’, examines the diversity and ambiguity of meaning underpinning social policy, and the implications for professionals, in particular teachers and community educators, who seek to engage with and support the communities in which they work and to build ‘communities of practice’ in the inter-professional context. Re-reading this article today, in the context of austerity and diminishing resources, challenges the reader to consider the continuing significance of the term ‘community’ and the nature of expectations for today’s professional educators to engage with factors both ‘in school’ and ‘out of school’ and the interface between them.