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Place and Belonging in School: Why It Matters Today Case Studies

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Place and Belonging in School: Why It Matters Today Case Studies A Research-based Inquiry undertaken by The Art of Possibilities & UCL, Institute of Education Professor Kathryn Riley, Dr Max Coates, Dr Tracey Allen November 2020 PLACE AND BELONGING IN SCHOOL: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY CASE STUDIES Institute of Education PLACE AND BELONGING IN SCHOOL: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY 1 Schools matter Our world is at a turning point, a moment increase in rates of exclusion, alienation, and of transformation. Covid 19 has exposed the a sense of ‘not’ belonging in school, and the divisions within and across society. It has also impact of this on young people’s well-being, taught us some important lessons: mental health and life chances. ❚ That wisdom and compassion help build The Inquiry involved: connections and communities. ❚ A series of school-based case-studies: the ❚ That our schools matter...... and focus of this report; ❚ That they need to be places of belonging ❚ A review of some of the relevant literature: this is published separately (1). Belonging’ is that sense of being somewhere We began the Inquiry in late 2019 and were you can be confident that you will fit in and part way through when the Coronavirus took be safe in your identity: a feeling of being at over and ‘lockdown’ became our contemporary home in a place. reality. Day-to-day life as we knew it came to a standstill. Evidence slowly emerged that some Illustration I: ‘I belong here’ groups and families had found themselves more exposed to the impact of the Virus than others. As events unfolded, the place called ’school’ became recognized as being even more central in the lives of young people. This report is about the importance of schools as places of belonging. The child’s illustration (Illustration I) is a pre-Covid drawing and is taken from the research reported here. The date is February 2020. The caption reads, ‘I belong here’. The drawing is a vivid depiction of what it feels like when a young person experiences their school as a place of belonging and enters into the joys of school life with eager anticipation. In reporting on the research, we offer examples of how intentional whole-school practice can help create a climate of welcome and belonging in school. A purposeful approach which brings everyone on board, enriches the lives of all concerned and sets the school on a positive and In this report we offer findings from a small- upward trajectory. The report illustrates what scale research inquiry about schools as places is possible - even in the most challenging of of belonging. The Inquiry was commissioned contexts - and how rewarding and joyful this is. by the National Education Union (NEU) with the aim of bringing to light school-wide We hope you find the research and report approaches that appear to be having positive helpful and enjoyable. We would love to hear outcomes for young people, their families and what you think about it. school communities. The context for the Inquiry was one of growing concerns about the rapid PLACE AND BELONGING IN SCHOOL: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY 2 Starting points Research has a lot to teach us about the growing problems of exclusion, alienation, and feelings of ‘not belonging’ in school, as well as the consequences for young people and society. Research studies have also revealed much about the positive benefits and impact of a sense of belonging in school for young people and adults. Table I highlights some of the key research data (2, 3 & 4). Table I: The Research Story The Belonging Challenge The Belonging Opportunity n 1 in 4 young people feel they do not A sense of belonging has been linked to: belong in school: a figure which is rising. 4 Increased student motivation. n Children from disadvantaged 4 Increased staff well-being, communities are twice as likely as motivation and retention. their more advantaged peers to feel they don’t belong and four times 4 Reductions in student absenteeism. more likely to be excluded. 4 Other positive social outcomes e.g. n Black Caribbean and special health and well-being. educational needs children are more likely to be excluded than their peers. 4 Improved academic achievement. n Young people who experience a sense 4 A growing sense of agency in of exclusion from school or society students and staff: a belief that they seek ‘belongingness’ elsewhere. can make a difference. PLACE AND BELONGING IN SCHOOL: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY 3 Starting points Our broad aim in embarking on this Inquiry was We used a wide range of networks to identify to find out what was working in schools, rather potential case-study schools and to ensure than what was not. We wanted to discover more a geographical spread across England. We about how to make the difference. came up with a long list of approximately 15 schools and chose 4 primary and 2 secondary ❚ What were the leaders doing? schools serving a range of communities, all ❚ How did staff view what was happening and facing significant challenges. In making our their role in it? final selection, we looked for intentional whole-school practice, as well as evidence ❚ How did the children and young people that the school was on an upward trajectory. experience school life? Sadly, we missed out on the fieldwork in one of the secondary schools. We interviewed the ❚ What had behaviour policies got to do with headteachers from the five remaining schools, this? worked with 49 teachers and teaching assistants ❚ How did the schools bring parents and in group sessions, and 79 children and young communities on board and help them feel people, also in group sessions. In total we met they belonged? with 133 young people and adults: see Table 2. Table 2: Our School Visits Helston Parklands Hargrave Flakefleet Frederick Community Primary, Primary, Primary, Bird Primary, College, Leeds Islington Fleetwood Coventry Cornwall Headteacher 3 3 3 3 3 Staff 12 14 8 7 8 Children & 24 18 16 14 17 young people In framing and analysing the case-studies Carrying out the case studies was a joyous and the literature review, we have drawn on undertaking. We were welcomed into the outcomes from previous work on place and schools and found attitudes and approaches belonging and the causes, dynamics and impact which aim to put children and young people at of pupil disaffection and exclusion (2, 3 &4). We the heart of the school endeavour. This is not to have also included some additional information suggest that the schools we visited are perfect! from St Anthony’s Catholic Primary, Bromley Each school has its own journey which may at which was part of an extended project on place times be rocky. However, we found them to be and belonging reported elsewhere (5). A series places of enjoyment, learning – and belonging. of videos about the school is also available (6). PLACE AND BELONGING IN SCHOOL: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY 4 Our findings In sharing the findings with you we have organised our thinking around three interconnected themes. Our reason for doing this is to show how different elements of what schools do – and how the people in those schools relate to each other - are linked. This approach helps demonstrate the importance of intentional whole-school practice which everyone understands and signs up to. The three themes are as follows: ❚ Leadership: Leadership shapes culture. ❚ Culture: Culture shapes learning and behaviour. ❚ Culture and leadership: Culture and leadership shape agency and belonging. These themes are represented in Diagram I which signals the interconnections between the elements needed to create the conditions for belonging. Diagram I: Interlocking Elements in Creating the Conditions for Belonging I LEADERSHIP: Shapes Culture III LEADERSHIP II & CULTURE: Shape agency CULTURE: & belonging Shapes learning and behaviour PLACE AND BELONGING IN SCHOOL: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY 5 Theme I: LEADERSHIP shapes culture School leaders are the mediating force ❚ They are Learning-centred (8): These leaders responsible for shaping the culture of the model what they do, monitor what they do, school. Their attitudes and practices help create and talk about what they do – all the time. the conditions needed for school belonging, ❚ or send the message to some (adults, young They are Relational: Their leadership is highly people, families) that they do not belong. relational - with their staff, with the young people and with their families - and they are The leaders of the schools we visited all walk ‘caring’ leaders (9). or dance their leadership in different ways. ❚ Nevertheless, their leadership ‘DNA’ is infused They understand about Agency: They with some common features. understand their own agency and work to activate the agency of others (10). ❚ They are Leaders of Place: Their leadership is contextual and community orientated, finely Leadership is bound in culture, context tuned to the needs of the neighbourhood (7). and place. The school leaders we met with recognize the importance of contextual ❚ They are Authentic: They are who they are. and community-oriented leadership. This is Some may seem idiosyncratic - which is a illustrated in the example of Flakesfleet Primary manifestation of their authenticity – while others School in the North West of England appear to be leading from behind. A Y6 child put it like this… ‘’If you’re the headteacher, you just have to be who you are.” Flakesfleet is in Fleetwood, a one-time major The other key piece of the jigsaw was -and fishing port. Poverty is endemic, with one in is - ‘Dare to Dream’: the antidote to low three children living below the poverty line. expectations and a lack of self-belief within Over a series of decades, Fleetwood has lost its the community.
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