Staff

Publication details for Prof Carl Bagley

Bagley, C. & Hillyard, S. (2011). Village Schools in England: At the heart of their community? Australian Journal of Education 55(1): 5.

• Publication type: Journal papers: academic
• ISSN/ISBN: 0004-9441
• View online: Online version
• Durham research online: DRO record

Author(s) from Durham

• Prof Carl Bagley
• Dr Sam Hillyard

Abstract

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.