The Art of Possibilities

There are five videos in The Art of Possibilities Series. They are linked to the project "School- A place where I belong?" and illustrate key themes in Kathryn Riley’s 2017 book, Place, Belonging & School Leadership: Researching to make the difference (London: Bloomsbury). The videos aim to promote thinking, encourage discussion and help create a pathway to change.

The Question: How can we create schools which are joyful and enquiring places - in which young people and adults feel they belong - and can be and become their best possible selves?

Encourages the viewer to look through the Prism of Place and Belonging to understand what needs to be done to help young people feel they belong.

Belonging means you are part of something and you are not just sitting around on the other side … not just left out or lonely.

Introduces School a Place where I belong? - the project at the heart of the videos - which involved students and teachers in researching for, and about, place and belonging. It spotlights the student-researchers and shows the power of agency.

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.

Focuses on the teacher-researchers (all newly qualified teachers); how they used research to investigate the classroom and playground experiences of children; and the major gains for them, their pupils and their schools.

And by the end of the project, those children (the outsiders) were seeing themselves very differently ……it was really very exciting.

Demonstrates how poetry and music can be used to develop the talents and skills of young people and help create place a sense of place and belonging in the classroom.

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.

Highlights the importance of taking into account global factors and - drawing on the project’s final event at City Hall - provides an overview of the lesson learned, introducing the notion of leaders as Place-makers and re-enforcing the message about the Art of Possibilities.

If all the people that are actually involved in a school (the pupils, the teachers, the teaching assistants) 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.

The Art of Possibilities - Videos Series II

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.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.

The Art of Possibilities - Videos Series III

Reaching Deptford
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The Power of Belonging
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Project team: Professor Kathryn Riley (Team leader), Dr Max Coates, Dr Dina Mehmedbegovic, Rhoda Furniss, Roberto Molina (Cubartista) and Frank Hung (DIDA Media).

Participating Schools: Corelli College, Elizabeth Garret Anderson School, Mulberry School, St Paul’s Way Trust School, Upton Cross Primary School, Waltham Forest Newly Qualified Teachers’ Network (led by Newport School) and St Anthony’s RC School, Bromley.

Production: DIDA Media