Collaboration and Networking Among Rural Schools: Can It Work and When? Evidence From England

Abstract

School-to-school collaboration as a school improvement method has grown in importance in England in recent years, and there is some evidence that such collaboration can have a positive impact on both capacity to change and student attainment. Most previous work in the area has focused on the urban context, however, despite the fact that increasing numbers of underperforming rural schools might benefit from collaboration. In this paper we examine the impact of collaboration using a quantitative reanalysis of rural school data from a previous study. We also discuss the conditions under which collaboration in rural areas is likely to be successful, using both reanalysis of rural data from a broader qualitative data set and primary data from telephone interviews. Findings show a positive relationship between collaboration on student attainment and highlight key conditions that need to be met, as well as particular difficulties of rural networks related to size and distance.

Notes

The four parts of the United Kingdom—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—each have separate education systems, so we refer to England in this paper because this is where the research reported on took place.

In England, a pupil can receive support for special educational needs (SEN), defined as any condition that can cause difficulties in learning, along a graduated scale of intervention. Under School Action the student will receive additional support, for example, through different pedagogical approaches or through adult support, often from a teaching assistant. Under School Action Plus, the student will receive other support, such as from a speech therapist. Where this is not sufficient, the pupil can receive a SEN statement that specifies exactly what the child's needs are, how they should be met, and, where possible, what adaptations need to be made to the mainstream school environment.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel Muijs

Daniel Muijs is Professor of Education at the University of Southampton, England. He is an acknowledged expert in the field of Educational Effectiveness and Leadership and in quantitative research methods and is co-editor of the journal School Effectiveness and School Improvement. He has published widely in the area of networking and collaboration between schools. Muijs holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium).