Village schools in England : at the heart of their community?

• Published in: The Australian journal of education Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 37 - 49
• Main Authors: Bagley, Carl, Hillyard, Sam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.08.2011; Australian Council for Educational Research; Sage Publications Ltd. (UK); Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Community relations; Cultural relations; Departments; Elementary Education; Elementary Schools; England; English language; Ethnography; Field study; Foreign Countries; Geography; Government School Relationship; Influence; Interviews; Observation; Occupations; Participant Observation; Political influences; Politics; Politics of Education; Population density; Research Methodology; Rural Areas; Rural Schools; Rural Sociology; School Community Relationship; School Role; Secondary Schools; Semi Structured Interviews; Small schools; Social aspects; Social History; Sociology, Rural; United Kingdom; United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom > UK; England; politics of education; rural schools; rural areas; community; rural sociology; ethnography
• ISSN: 0004-9441; 2050-5884
• DOI: 10.1177/000494411105500105

Recent debates within UK rural studies have stressed the shifting interplay of economic, social, political and cultural forces, with a concomitant blurring as to what constitutes rural living, rural spaces and even rural occupations. This article situates the rural school within this social, cultural and political landscape and attends to the frequently heralded discursive policy conviction that 'local schools are at the heart of many rural communities'. The research applies an inclusive model of ethnography, drawing on participant observation, interviews and documentary analysis, to facilitate a multifaceted engagement, and holistic exploration of the role and place of the village school in two contrasting English rural localities. [Author abstract]