The Creation of a ‘Safety Net’ in a Secondary School. A Mixed Method Study in the North of England

The Creation of a ‘Safety Net’ in a Secondary School. A Mixed Method Study in the North of England
Background: This mixed methods study, beginning with a student questionnaire (phase one) and continuing with classic grounded theory (phases two and three) explores what a small rural secondary school in the North of England does well to ensure students feel secure and ready to learn.

Method: A questionnaire based on school climate research (Thapa et al. 2013) was administered to seventy six year eight and nine students (phase one) to ascertain feelings about that secondary school’s climate. The data was then subjected to further investigation using a grounded theory approach. Ten statements which participants agreed with were further investigated through three student focus groups (phase two) to understand how much students valued these statements. The focus group data was analysed using open and selective coding to explore what the students valued in helping them to feel secure enough to engage in school. Fourteen staff filled in questionnaires (phase three) asking about the four categories that had emerged from the students’ data and recorded how they supported these.

Analysis and Discussion: It emerged that set boundaries (rules, structure and policies) were important for students and also agreed with by staff. Set boundaries were then found to be mediated through three categories: peer relationships (support wellbeing) student-staff relationships (enables young people to feel understood) autonomy (allows students to further develop their sense of agency), to create an overarching emergent category of a ‘safety net’ (a feeling of security and safety within school).