About the project
We live in a world full of boundless promise and possibilities. It’s also a world which can feel hostile and uncertain. And it’s a world on the move: which is why place and belonging matter.
Contents
A message from Kathryn Riley
‘Belonging’ is that sense of being somewhere where you can be confident that you will fit in, and feel safe in your identity. As schools are one of the few shared social institutions which can create a sense of belonging or exclusion, it’s vital that they are places of welcome and belonging.
A school is just a building. What happens in any school is down to the people in and around it: the children, their families, the staff - and the leaders. How leaders think, decide, act and reflect, and draw on their knowledge to create a roadmap of possibilities is critical to the well-being of children and adults.
Begin first by looking at schools afresh - through The Prism of Place and Belonging. A prism refracts the light, or breaks it into different parts. Once you do this, you understand how school life is experienced, who feels included who feels an outsider and what can be done to change this.
Whether you are a leader, teacher, support staff member, researcher, parent, community member, governor or policy-maker - and wherever you are in the world - I hope the information presented here will help you make your contribution towards creating schools which open up pathways to possibilities for young people.
Kathryn Riley, Professor of Urban Education at IOE
Co-Founder of The Art of Possibilities
Background
The information presented here is drawn from an emerging body of research and development work about place and belonging, undertaken in countries in many parts of the world. These include Australia, Chile, Jamaica, the Netherlands, the UK, the USA and South Africa. Much of this work has been undertaken in schools located in ethnically diverse and socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods.
The main contributors to this work are:
- IOE: Professor Kathryn Riley, Dr Max Coates, Dr Dina Mehmedbegovic, Sol Perez Martinez and Rhoda Furniss
- The Art of Possibilities: Professor Kathryn Riley and DancePoet TioMolina
- Schools: Corelli College, Elizabeth Garret Anderson School, Mulberry School, St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Bromley, St Paul’s Way Trust School, Upton Cross Primary School, and schools involved in the Newly Qualified Teachers’ Network led by Newport School.
Video Series I: Place and belonging in a volatile world: the art of possibilities
Five short videos each of which explores issues about belonging in our uncertain world from different perspectives: young people, student-researchers (from both primary and secondary schools), teacher-researchers, school leaders. The videos also illustrate how to use poetry and music to create a sense of place and belonging.
Place, belonging and schools in our global world
Explores the world through the Prism of Place and Belonging and illustrates what belonging means to children and young people.
Belonging means you are part of something and you are not just sitting around on the other side…not just left out or lonely.
A place to be: student-researchers show the way
Shows the benefits of involving young people in researching for place and belonging and asking the question: Is this school a place where everyone feels they belong?
The notion of place and belonging is incredibly important for [our students] and even more so…when we are all getting a bit exercised about British values and what it means to be part of a community.
Rethinking classrooms: teacher-researchers learn from their students
Shows the value of involving teacher-researchers (newly qualified teachers) in research which investigates the classroom and playground experiences of children.
Using poetry performance to create place and belonging
Demonstrates how Professor Kathryn Riley and DancePoet TioMolina use poetry and music to develop the talents and skills of young people and help create a sense of place and belonging in the classroom.
This helped me see things in a new way. A creative and very exciting project.
Making belonging work in a volatile world
Highlights the importance of taking into account global factors. The Video also introduces the notion of leaders as place-makers, reinforcing the message about the Art of Possibilities.
Belonging is my identity, belonging is myself. And belonging is to be confident with yourself. It's like something very deep in your soul and in the heart.
If all the people who are actually involved in a thought about their school in a different way - a place where I go, I feel like I belong, I feel like I can contribute, I feel like what I say is heard. … What a dynamic, wonderful place that would be.
Video Series II: Place and belonging in schools: unlocking possibilities
Four short films which - with the help of children from St Anthony’s Catholic Primary school, Bromley and school leaders - explore key concepts about belonging, agency, place and space. The videos remind us that the seeds of transformation are waiting to be harvested and that the genesis for change and renewal lies in schools.
Belonging
‘Belonging’ is that sense of being somewhere where you can be confident that you will fit in and feel safe in your identity. Schools are one of the few shared social institutions which can create that sense of belonging, or exclusion: a point illustrated by the children from St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School.
Agency
Agency is a mindset of possibilities. Agency is our ability to intervene in the world, to make a difference, to have our voice heard. To develop your agency, you need a belief that you can make a difference. You also need the skills and the opportunities to act.
Place and space
What makes a school a ‘place’ are the relationships, the hopes and the aspirations. What also matters is how both the physical and emotional spaces are used.
Unlocking possibilities
What brings the school together are the people - and school leaders are key. They set the framework for belonging or exclusion, influencing how communities are viewed and how young people view society and their place within it.
Booklet: Place and belonging in schools: unlocking possibilities
By Kathryn Riley, Max Coates & Sol Perez Martinez (2018)
Designed by Lisa Jo Robinson
This practical and highly visual booklet focuses on how to create schools which are places of well-being, belonging and creative endeavour. Key concepts, tools and approaches are provided, and a model for change designed to generate a fresh perspective on school life. All of these are research-based and have been ‘road-tested’ with leaders, practitioners, community members, young people and researchers.
Publications
Outputs
K. Riley. (2013). Leadership of Place: Stories from the US, UK and South Africa, London: Bloomsbury.
Findings from a cross-national study on place and belonging which explores the importance of understanding place and context, from the perspectives of young people, staff and communities. Childrens’ drawings help illustrate the daily realities of life - both in school and outside.
K. Riley. (2017). Place, Belonging and School Leadership: Researching to make the difference, London: Bloomsbury.
Findings from an innovative research and development partnership between the IOE, UCL and schools. The book explores how belonging is experienced and generated in schools and highlights the benefits to all concerned when young people and teachers engage in research inquiry. The book also offers tools and approaches designed to help school leaders develop their role as place leaders and place makers.
Other publications related to place, belonging and inclusion
See the range of publications by Kathryn Riley and colleagues related to place and belonging, and inclusion.
- Riley, K. (2020). Leadership of Place: Transforming Schools into Places of Belonging. ICSEI Monograph Series, January. International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement.
- Riley, K. Mendoza, M., & Galdames, S. (2020). Cross-sector & Interdisciplinary Perspectives on School Belonging & Exclusion -What we Know; What we Need to Know; And What Needs to Change. Discussion Document. London: UCL, Institute of Education.
- Riley, K. (2019). Agency and belonging: What transformative actions can schools take to help create a sense of place and belonging? Journal of Educational & Child Psychology; Vol. 36 No. 4, 91-103.
- Riley, K. (2019). The belonging Imperative. School Leadership Today, Vol 9.3, p31-36.
- Riley, K. (2019). We’re a long way from a sense of belonging. TES Scotland, 7 June, pp 20-21.
- Riley, K. (2019). Protests and possibilities: reframing the agenda for urban secondary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 56 Issue: 5, pp.455-462.
- Re-creating Schools as Places of Belonging: The Art of Possibilities. Professional Development Today (2017), 19 (2) 8-17.
- Community collaboration and partnership in volatile times, in P. Earley & T. Greany (eds) (2017), School Leadership and Education System Reform. Chapter 13, London: Bloomsbury.
- Walking the leadership tightrope: building community cohesiveness and social capital in schools in highly disadvantaged urban communities, British Educational Research Journal, 39, (2), April 2013: 266-286.
- Improving city schools: who and what makes the difference? in C. Sugrue (ed.) (2008), New Directions for Educational Change: International Perspectives. London: Routledge.
- Riley, K., Montecinos, C. & Ahumada, L. (2016). Effective Principals Serving in High Poverty Schools in Chile: Managing Competing Realities. pp 1-8, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences.
- Riley, K. & Docking J. (2004). Voices of disaffected pupils: implications for policy and practice. British Journal of Educational Studies 52, (2) 166-179. Published online: 02 July 2010.
- Riley K., Ellis, S., Weinstock, W., Tarrant, J. & Hammond, S. (2006). Re-engaging disaffected pupils in learning: insights for policy and practice. Improving Schools, 9 (1) 17-31.
- Riley, K. & Rustique-Forrester, E. (2002). Working with disaffected students: why children lose interest in School and what we can do about it. London: Chapman Sage.
Want to know more about Kathryn’s research story?
Watch the video: Research on schools as places of belonging
In a global context of change and uncertainty, Kathryn Riley builds on her pioneering work on place and belonging, and on the concept of Leadership of Place, to pose fundamental challenges to the beliefs, thinking and professional practice of educators and leaders and to ask: how can we create schools that are places of belonging and possibility?
Contact us
UCL Centre for Educational Leadership
Department of Learning and Leadership
UCL Institute of Education
University College London
20 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AL
Image
Mat Wright for UCL IOE.