An Ofsted chief, a former Bradford superintendent and the mother of a young woman beaten to death by thugs for being a goth will all be at a major national conference at Bradford College to discuss how to promote diversity and tolerance within colleges.

The Community Cohesion Partnership Conference takes place on Friday, July 5, at the Yorkshire Craft Centre.

The free event features a number of national speakers including Sonia Ghandi, the head of equality and human rights at Ofsted, and Steve Cotter, deputy national co-ordinator of Prevent and a former police district superintendent in Bradford.

Prevent is one of the four elements of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism by working with a range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health) where there are risks of radicalisation that need to be dealt with.

Sylvia Lancaster, who set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation following the horrific murder of Sophie in 2007 in Lancashire, will also be at the event.

The Foundation works in conjunction with politicians and police forces to ensure individuals who are part of subcultures are protected by the law.

The conference is expected to attract teachers, community representatives and policy-makers from across the country. Presentations will be given by colleges involved in running community cohesion projects.

Bradford College principal and chief executive Michele Sutton will open the conference.

She said: “Further and Higher Education colleges play a vital role in the lives of their students and their wider communities.

“This is a great opportunity for us to come together and explore how colleges can best connect with the very diverse communities that they serve and how they can form constructive partnerships with other organisations to strengthen community cohesion.”

To book a free place, go to communitycohesionconference.eventbrite.com

For further information, visit bradfordcollege.ac.uk