Having been invited to help shape the Church of England’s “Vision for Education”, Relational Schools was commissioned by a large number of faith schools in Australia to explore the degree to which espoused values translated into the broader experiences and outcomes for students, teachers and communities.
Christian schools, of all schools, it could be argued, should be a place where children, from all backgrounds, feel like they belong. The Church of England remind us in their mission statement that, “We are only persons with each other: our humanity is ‘co-humanity’, inextricably involved with others, utterly relational, both in our humanity and our shared life. If those others are of ultimate worth then we are each called to responsibility towards them and to contribute responsibly to our communities. The good life is ‘with and for others in just institutions’ (Paul Ricoeur). So education needs to have a core focus on relationships and commitments, participation in communities and institutions, and the qualities of character that enable people to flourish together.”
There is clear and growing evidence that in Australia, as well as other countries, students’ relationships are important for their well-being, health, educational attainment and many other outcomes. There is also evidence, seen for example in the incidence of adolescent mental health problems, loneliness or a lack of belonging, that the relational fabric of many students’ lives is wearing thin. In order to explore the impact that ethos has on student outcomes, Relational Schools was commissioned to produce a study of student-student, student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships.
In a project that lasted 14 months across 6 states, 1 territory and over 13,500 students, teachers and parents, Relational Schools, working with partners here and overseas, generated 2 major association research reports, 5 documentary shorts which captured the qualitative stories of the research and 36 bespoke report elements for schools.
The project was so successful, work has already begun on Phase 2.0.