Place-based and community curricula: Selected reading

This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust.

This is a collection of research articles, case studies, webinars and other relevant resources to further develop your understanding of place-based and community approaches. We have ensured that these are open access or available to members of The Chartered College of Teaching. 

The resources collated here will not provide a recipe for what you should do. Some of the articles will also present opposing viewpoints, and ones which may contradict your own viewpoint or experience. They will provoke thought, debate and discussion. We encourage you to read and appraise the literature to make informed decisions based on your local context, professional experience and other available research evidence. 

Resources from the Chartered College of Teaching

N.B. Please note that non-members can only access three articles per month. Join today to get full access to all resources provided on our platform.

• This research summary provides a simple overview of an area-based curriculum.
• This perspective article outlines the core principles for developing a community-based curriculum, as well as exploring the benefits and challenges of this approach. 
• This perspective article explores how to integrate the local context into the curriculum to support transition from EYFS to history in Key Stage 1. 
• This research study explores the experiences of both teachers and pupils during their time in the Tate Liverpool and how this impacts on teaching and learning in the school.
• This perspective article sheds light on the importance of engaging with families and the wider community to support children’s learning, with focus on the Welsh education system.
• This article reflects on the benefits and challenges of creating community partnerships to enhance teaching and learning in schools. 
• This bitesize CPD unit is designed to support school leaders to improve their approach to parental and community engagement in their school setting, with particular focus on supporting them to engage with their child’s learning. 

Other resources and articles freely available from other providers

• This report provides a comprehensive overview of a place-based approach in education, providing a useful framework and practical strategies to begin thinking about implementation, or refining your current approach, in your setting.
• This research article provides a systematic review of the current evidence-base in place-based education. 
• This research article presents the findings of research into the teaching of local industrial history in a socially deprived primary school in post-industrial north-east England.
• This report, produced by the Welsh government, outlines how schools can engage with families, communities and multi agencies to support the needs of their learners and families and benefit the wider community.
• This research article presents the findings from the Morecambe Bay Curriculum project, in which teachers and university academics collaborated to develop a localised approach to sustainability education, connecting environmental issues to the places where children live, their communities and everyday experiences.
• This research article makes the argument for a stronger reciprocal relationship between schools and community in the process of curriculum development – termed Community Curriculum Making (CCM).
• This research article presents a systematic review of 58 publications, highlighting how incorporating community knowledge and local expertise into curriculum development can make education more relevant and inclusive, improve pupil engagement and strengthen school-community connections.
• This blog explores the benefits, challenges and practical strategies for developing community partnerships to create relevant and engaging curricula.
• The Operation Spitfire 4 Schools programme provides an example of place-based, cross-curricular learning, using the history of the Spitfire and its local links to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to engage pupils in STEM, history and engineering.