Faith in the Nexus
How do church primary schools facilitate opportunities for children’s exploration of faith and spiritual life in the home?
The Faith in the Nexus research project has identified the fruitful ways in which twenty church primary schools (working in collaboration with churches and other interested stakeholders) facilitate opportunities for the exploration of children’s faith/spiritual life in the home.
The research findings emerged from research focus group interviews with 450 participants (pupils, parents & staff), and an online survey with 1000 participants across 20 church primary schools in England.
Research team: Dr Ann Casson, Dr Sabina Hulbert, Dr Mary Woolley & Prof Bob Bowie
A Nexus Toolkit has been created to support those who are involved with children's spiritual development and wellbeing within a Christian context.
Click on the headings below to find out more.
In 2016, Theos published this report by Olwyn Mark which explored the passing on of faith from parents to their children.
Passing on Faith offers an excellent background and context to the Faith in the Nexus report.
A flourishing Nexus of school, church, and home:
In the home:
Church primary schools encouraged more faith interactions in the home when:
Parents’ confidence is increased when the church primary school:
Characteristics of positive relationships between church and school:
We now have more knowledge about the relationship between multiple factors, such as faith-based admissions criteria, school, church, and diocesan strategies, and the presence of fruitful faith conversations, prayer, and other practices in the home environment.
There is a need for:
We believe that changes can be made by targeted and effective dissemination of the key findings to significant influencers and animators through a sustained campaign that is integrated with stakeholder activities and strategies, in particular Growing Faith in the Church of England.
