Prioritising a Sense of Belonging Within the Rural Nexus: An Empirical Study of Five Rural Church Primary Schools

The rural church primary school exists in a nexus of connections between school, home, and the institutional Church (parochial, diocesan, and national). This article applies Walker’s model of belonging to God through church to the sense of belonging expressed by families whose children attend a rura...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rural theology
Authors: Casson, Ann (Author) ; Woolley, Mary (Author) ; Hulbert, Sabina (Author) ; Bowie, Robert A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group 2023
In: Rural theology
Year: 2023, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Pages: 95-108
Further subjects:B Christian Education
B Church schools
B rural parish
B Church of England
B sense of belonging
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:The rural church primary school exists in a nexus of connections between school, home, and the institutional Church (parochial, diocesan, and national). This article applies Walker’s model of belonging to God through church to the sense of belonging expressed by families whose children attend a rural Church of England primary school. The data drawn from the Faith in the Nexus project undertaken at Canterbury Christ Church University, consists of 24 semi-structured focus group interviews, and 8 individual interviews with school and church leaders from parents, school staff, clergy, and governors across five rural Church of England primary schools. The findings highlight how rural church school families develop and sustain a sense of belonging through events, people, place, and activities. The discussion considers the value of Walker’s model of belonging, the fragility of the rural nexus and a need to acknowledge the relational nature of belonginess expressed by parents and pupils.
ISSN:2042-1273
Contains:Enthalten in: Rural theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/14704994.2023.2249659