Rethinking school :strengthening connections to communities

Abstract

My thesis considers the role of the school in area-based approaches to supporting children, young people and families and comprises three related chapters. The first chapter, the Systematic Review, includes a review of literature relevant to the area. In the second, the Bridging Document, there is a discussion about the conceptual framework which links the Systematic Review with the Empirical Research. It also explores ethical and methodological issues. The final chapter discusses findings from the Empirical Research, as well as future implications for educational psychologists’ practice. For the Systematic Review, I applied a meta-ethnographic approach to qualitative studies to explore how school leaders facilitate partnerships with the school’s local community from experiences of school leaders in both Primary and Secondary schools in the U.K. and abroad. Synthesis of findings from six studies suggested four key concepts which facilitate authentic partnerships between schools and communities: i) belonging, ii) appreciation, iii) reciprocity, and iv) motivation. The line of argument presented offers school leaders a conceptual framework through which to consider their current practices and relations with the community. The empirical research considered how community organisations understand the role of the school in respect of coordinated area-based approaches to supporting children and families. I was interested in exploring the research question ‘how do community organisations describe their relationship and experience of working with schools and other community organisations?’ and reflecting on the implications of community organisations working in collaboration with schools and other community organisations. Audio-recorded individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with five members of community organisations offering services to children, young people and families within a Ward in the North East of England. Constructionist grounded theory was used to analyse the data. Members of community organisations described general factors that supported or hindered relationships between schools and community organisations and reflected on what was successful and meaningful about area-based approaches to supporting children, young people and families which could be built upon. Factors discussed included: i) the drive, motivation and inspiration of community organisations, ii) the complexity and complications of funding, and iii) making a unique, valued and complementary contribution. My thesis concludes with a tentative model of factors to consider when developing coordinated area-based approaches to supporting children, young people and families. Implications for applied educational psychology are also considered.