Join a select group of educationalists and researchers from disparate backgrounds to engage the burning conundrum of education, community building, religion, identity, attainment and social cohesion in multicultural Britain, triggered by the Trojan Horse affair.

The workshop will enquire into various themes, including:

• systemic issues and the purpose of ‘modern’ education in secular post-modernity
• community building boundaries; Birmingham, et al.
• the new role of religion and Religious Education: SMSC, PSHE, Citizenship & British values
• student-centred paradigms; renegotiated power relationships or egotism?
• social constructivism as a democratic skill set; British values as an example
• beyond now; P4C, the Trivium and the Islamic connection in English educational history
• Islam and Muslim alternative education; problem for whom or solution to what?

Throughout, we will be learning from each other across boundaries of faiths, professions and politics to collaboratively discover possible future roles for education. The guided knowledge cafe format will organically let enquiry develop from relevant input and shared insights of speakers and participants.

As to the importance of these issues, a vicious circle - isolation to secure religious/cultural values versus government demands to conform - is pushing marginalised communities beyond breaking point, feeding extremism at both ends of the spectrum. The abysmal crimes in Paris have made it abundantly clear that all hands are needed to break it.