Hardwired Connections: A Social Capital Framework for Education by Nic Ponsford
The hope and community spirit we’ve witnessed across the nation, with people standing together in solidarity against hatred, has been truly inspiring. From the streets to social media, the collective response has been overwhelming—people uniting to say, "You are not welcome" to the faceless forces of hatred and organised racism.
Hatred. Harassment. Violence. Not here. Not ever.
As educators, we recognise the transformative power of connection within our school communities, and it often starts with something as simple yet profound as a warm welcome. Every year, we invest time and effort in welcoming new students, ensuring they feel a sense of belonging from the start. Our schools reflect this commitment, with vibrant displays in our reception areas that signal to everyone who enters: You are not just invited; you belong here, and you are safe.
Everyone is included. Always.
Yet, for many of our global majority staff, students, and families, this sense of welcome is undermined by an insidious, faceless form of racism—subtle, masked, and persistent. It can be found in the very places they walk, shop, or even send their children to school. This quiet, pervasive hatred breeds a profound sense of disconnection.
So, how do we bridge these divides? How do we create spaces where every person feels safe, welcome, and valued? How do we move forward together?
I believe that building authentic connections is not just a 'nice to have'—it’s an essential foundation for fostering trust in our schools. We need innovative strategies to strengthen trust within our communities and make safety a fundamental pillar of our school culture.
The real question is: how do we build meaningful connections with the people we serve?
Connectedness is a fundamental aspect of daily life in schools, not just as an abstract idea but as a lived experience. It begins with the physical act of coming together. Every day, we walk, drive, cycle, or commute to a shared space—five days a week. We spend the majority of our day there, engaging, responding, and connecting with one another, before departing and repeating the cycle the next day.
Arrive. Connect. Leave. Repeat.
This rhythm of movement—arriving, interacting, and departing—fascinates me because it forms the basis for social connections. Our shared physical presence creates the foundation for deeper relationships and interactions, making connectedness an integral part of the fabric of school life.
We are hardwired to connect.
The experience of being both connected and disconnected is a profound aspect of being human.
We are innately wired for connection.
Yet, the paradox of human nature is that we can be surrounded by people and still feel deeply lonely when we don’t feel safe, don’t belong, or struggle to identify with others. Conversely, we can feel socially connected even when we are physically alone—whether engaging with social media, immersing ourselves in virtual spaces, or simply contemplating in solitude. At the core of all these experiences is our intrinsic desire for connection.
It is this desire that defines us as human.
Nic Ponsford, GEC founder, presents her doctoral research and initial findings from our GEC Platform data set at ResearchEd (2024).
In my doctoral research at Bournemouth University, celebrating 24 years of dedication to education this month, and through my work in establishing the GEC, I’ve witnessed how the language to describe human social connections is ever evolving —#EDI, #wellbeing, #belonging, #culture.
Despite this shifting terminology, I’ve grappled with defining the essence of connectedness and how we humanise data in education. I’ve spent countless hours reflecting on what it means to me, and how it can anchor authentic inclusion in schools—making them truly safe havens, as my school once was for me during a chaotic childhood.
Over the last four years, my work has been lazer-focused. I have successfully launched an index and metrics to measure these ideas alongside my research. I have also created a large (human) grassroots collective of educational experts to better understand what needs to happen once you have your data.
And, now I believe I’ve finally worked out what I have been building all this time…
The Social Capital Framework.
What is Social Capital?
Social capital is described, defined and captured in multi-dimensional ways. For me, this is based on our ‘networks of relationships’ in education. The relationships that when successful and strong, provide support and/or opportunities to all individuals. These relationships extend across our school communities from teachers, mentors and support staff to classmates, families, neighbours etc.
Relationships are often viewed as valuable primarily in terms of achieving specific outcomes—whether in business, employment, housing, or education. Within education, relationships not only help us learn from one another and ourselves but are frequently regarded as a means to an end. They help us attain qualifications, build networks, collaborate, and advance social mobility. Social justice, social mobility, and social capital are deeply intertwined—relationships hold power, and it is this power that generates capital.
The impact of who you know can be transformative, as we've seen time and again. Who you stand with or against can shift the dynamics of any situation.
In research terms, these networks and relationships are known as "Social Capital," and it is this concept that underpins the GEC.
What is a Social Capital Framework?
Too often, we only value what we can measure in education.
Now, it’s time to measure what we truly value.
At the GEC, our exploration of human connections in education is anchored in Social Capital. We go beyond simply understanding or measuring the lived experiences of EDI staff and students; we delve deeper—unpacking the experience of belonging in schools through data to rebuild stronger, more inclusive environments.
Through the GEC platform, we introduce the Social Capital Framework, a groundbreaking approach that prioritises inclusivity by focusing not just on diversity metrics but on the relationships, trust, and networks that truly shape school culture.
As one school leader recently noted:
"The GEC platform has transformed our understanding of inclusion. We now see the connection between diversity and the social fabric of our school. The insights are invaluable."
How does Social Capitalism Work?
Social Capital is what gives not just ‘worth’ to our people, but opportunities.
Reflecting on the educational pioneer that is John Dewey (1) and his vision of ‘connectedness’ in education and further acknowledged more recently alongside Bourdieu’s (2) dynamics of the power of society (status and power), Social Capital for our people is hugely relevant to our current landscape.
When we look at social capital in terms of education, we can apply it to our school cultures - the social network of relationships in our schools - and when understood, when strong, social capital results in providing support and/or opportunities for individuals. It can extend from families, communities, classmates, teachers, leaders.
Image from Brays School is a GEC member and special school in Birmingham, the 7th most deprived area in the country, serving 105 pupils all of whom have profound and multiple learning difficulties, significant learning difficulties and complex medical needs.
At the heart of the GEC Platform is my research and the creation of our Social Capital Framework, a groundbreaking approach that captures the depth of relationships, trust, and networks within educational environments. Our framework gives school leaders a comprehensive, structured approach that goes beyond mere measurement. The GEC Platform starts with social capital surveys, that are underpinned by diversity and inclusion metrics. The platform then unlocks practical tools, strategies, and guidelines for building and leveraging social capital within schools—ideal for education leaders who are looking for actionable solutions.
We do not just measure social capital, but we help schools actively foster it through both insight and practical guidance. In other words,
What sets the GEC apart is our unique blend of data and human connection, ensuring that schools don’t just measure inclusion—they actively build it.
Over three hundred school leaders from across 30 countries have said that social capital is important in their schools in just a couple of years. As a result, our extensive surveys of over 22,000 students, teachers, and staff now provide critical insights into the cognitive dimensions of social capital: what people think, how they feel, and what they voice to us - all directed to school and trust leadership so they can improve the connectedness of their people, based on our analytics.
How does our Social Capital Framework work?
By measuring the three core elements of social capital—Bonding, Bridging, and Linking—we help schools not just track diversity but build lasting, meaningful connections across their communities.
As one school leader stated,
“GEC transformed how we understand inclusion and engagement by giving voice to the unheard—our staff and students feel more seen and valued than ever before.”
Our social capital framework doesn’t just measure; it drives collective action by empowering school leaders with a shared language, vision, and culture. By surfacing underserved voices and creating a shared narrative, we at the GEC help schools establish safer, more inclusive spaces for learning.
Leaders that embrace this approach recognise the value of their staff and students not as economic capital, but as intellectual and societal contributors.
Bonding, Bridging, and Linking
Bonding Social Capital - connectedness within groups
1. Bonding Social Capital strengthens the connectedness within groups sharing similar experiences or identities, fostering a sense of belonging and community. However, unchecked, it can lead to inward thinning and exclusion—illustrating the flip side of social capital, as seen in both positive and negative societal movements.
The advantages of bonding social capital include:
Emotional Support: Individuals within these networks often provide each other with emotional encouragement and assistance, especially during challenging times.
Increased Trust: Close relationships foster a higher level of trust, which can lead to collective action and mutual cooperation.
Resource Sharing: Members are more likely to share resources, information, and opportunities, benefiting the entire group.
Cultural Identity: Bonding social capital can strengthen cultural identity and norms, helping to unify individuals around shared values and traditions.
However, bonding social capital can also have some limitations:
Exclusivity: Strong ties can lead to insularity, making it difficult for individuals to connect with those outside their close-knit circle.
Groupthink: Close relationships might result in conformity, where dissenting opinions are discouraged, limiting innovation and diverse viewpoints.
Dependency: Relying heavily on a small group for support can create dependency, potentially hindering individual growth and resilience.
In summary, bonding social capital plays a significant role in fostering strong community ties and support networks, yet it is important to balance it with bridging social capital, which connects diverse groups and encourages broader networks of collaboration.
Just as we have seen excessive negative ‘bonding’ that has bred bias, fear, racism and exclusion with the riots (far right groups coming to the streets following misinformation online) we have seen hopeful and positive inclusive ‘bonding’ (with communities likewise hitting the streets, checking in on their friends that feel and are unsafe).
Building Social Capital - connectedness across different demographic identities
2. Bridging Social Capital promotes relationships across different demographic identities, building inclusivity and intersectional allyship. This element, which GEC emphasises, allows diverse groups to progress together, to ‘get ahead’, in ways they couldn’t achieve alone.
Building Social Capital involves creating and nurturing relationships that foster trust, cooperation, and networks within communities. It emphasises the importance of social networks, norms, and trust that facilitate coordination and collaboration for mutual benefit.
To build social capital effectively, individuals and groups can take several approaches:
Engagement: Participation in community activities, local organizations, and social events strengthens relationships and trust among members. Engaging actively helps in understanding diverse perspectives and experiences.
Networking: Establishing connections with a diverse range of individuals and groups can enhance opportunities for collaboration and support. Building a wide network can lead to more resources and information being shared.
Trust-Building Activities: Implementing initiatives that foster trust, such as open dialogue sessions or collaborative community projects, can enhance mutual respect and understanding. Trust forms the foundation of strong social capital.
Supporting Local Initiatives: Contributing to and supporting local initiatives not only bolsters community bonds but also empowers individuals. By helping one another, community members can create a more resilient and connected society.
Inclusivity: Ensuring that all voices are heard and valued within a community promotes a sense of belonging. Inclusivity strengthens social ties and encourages cooperation among members from various backgrounds.
Knowledge Sharing: Promoting the exchange of knowledge and resources among individuals and organizations fosters a culture of collaboration. When people share their skills and insights, it enriches the entire community.
Sustaining Relationships: Building social capital requires ongoing effort. Regular check-ins and organizing follow-up events maintain relationships and ensure that the network remains active and engaged.
By focusing on these strategies, individuals and organizations can effectively build social capital, leading to enhanced cooperation, stronger communities, and a more interconnected society.
Linking Social Capital - hierarchical power dynamics to improve connectedness
3. Linking Social Capital focuses on navigating hierarchical power dynamics, fostering trust and reciprocity between students, teachers, and leaders. It is essential for building supportive, empowered school communities, where control is balanced with empathy and opportunity.
While bonding social capital—the connections within close-knit groups—is important, it alone is insufficient for schools to thrive. In fact, schools that rely solely on bonding capital without linking social capital often experience negative outcomes. Control without connection does not foster productivity or positive results in education, making it crucial to strike the right balance.
Linking Social Capital refers to the relationships and networks that allow individuals or groups to access resources, opportunities, and support beyond their immediate social circles. It extends beyond the traditional concepts of bonding and bridging social capital by emphasizing connections that cross hierarchical or institutional boundaries. This includes relationships with leadership, authority, and expertise, which help close gaps and generate positive social capital. At the GEC, we see ourselves as facilitators of linking social capital, but we also believe that schools and trusts have the potential to be experts in this area. They simply need to recognise their strengths and areas for growth, leveraging the insights of those with deeper knowledge.
Why is this important? In many contexts, linking social capital is critical for fostering innovation and development. It enables individuals to tap into valuable resources such as information, support, and influence—factors that can lead to improved socio-economic outcomes. For marginalized and underserved communities, linking social capital is often vital for connecting with larger institutions, government agencies, or organizations (like the GEC or a school leader) that can advocate for their needs and provide essential assistance.
Building linking social capital requires intentional efforts, such as capturing stakeholder voices, fostering authentic community engagement, participating in networks, and cultivating relationships with key stakeholders. This process relies on establishing trust and mutual respect, which are foundational to effective collaboration.
Ultimately, linking social capital plays a crucial role in empowering individuals and communities by expanding access to opportunities and resources that support growth and resilience.
Social Capital Today
As the school year begins, many schools have already welcomed their new and returning families. In the coming months, their focus will shift towards helping students settle in and build their social capital. This process is evident in how individuals come to understand who they can turn to, how staff, students, and families form positive, safe relationships, and how they develop a sense of trust and belonging within their school communities—whether that’s a class, form group, house, year group, or friendship network.
For example, a student might engage more fully in school simply because they trust one teacher over another, or choose to pursue a subject or attend a specific educational institution because their friends are there (micro-level decisions). At the same time, a school leader might take steps to bridge the gap for underserved families who feel unsafe due to the faceless hate they’ve encountered, finding ways to create a welcoming environment when the school gates reopen (macro-level decisions).
Schools that prioritize social capital support their people on both levels—micro and macro. This holistic approach, which connects “what you know” with “who you are,” enables schools to move beyond traditional metrics, fostering environments where students and staff feel safe, valued, and empowered to thrive. By focusing on social capital, schools can help secure positive relationships, build trust, and cultivate a deep sense of belonging within their communities.
A sustained focus on Social Capital enhances opportunities and deepens connections for everyone in the school. It’s more than just an assembly or an INSET day—it’s an ongoing commitment to fostering meaningful, lasting connections.
Image from Batley Trust, one of our GEC members. Their family of schools covers the full age range from 2 year old provision through to post 16, plus their brilliant Yorkshire Rose Teaching Partnership, provides excellent ITT, ECT and NPQ training, as well as leadership training programmes for their associate staff.
If you would like more help on Social Capitalism and how our Social Capital Analytics work can support you and yours, please get in touch office@thegec.education or contact us via our Contact page here.
Further reading
GEC Response to the Riots
Here is our statement to the riots seen this summer and our GEC Circle response to how to drive positive collection action.
‘Labour must rethink schools whole relationship with Data’ by Nic Ponsford
You might want to read Nic’s recent Opinion piece on data published in Schools Week.
Schools prioritise data about well-being, right?
Access Nic’s blog on data here following her international keynote trip to India to learn about Street Data and how we start to flip the narrative on metrics and mental health.
Check Yourself
Below are extracts from our GEC Privilege Checklist. We are making this freely available to non-members of the GEC Platform.
Context
Nic Ponsford, Founder has worked with our GEC Circle to develop this, as alongside her literature review researching bias and privilege in the education sector. For a limited time we are offering this free, outside of the GEC Platform which is where it, and hundreds of other CPD materials are homed.
Please use and share this to consider and reflect upon your own privileges, or use as a resource to reflect with others.
White Race, Ethnicity, and Religion
Privilege (RER)
People can say my name.
I am never ridiculed or perceived as a threat because of my name.
People generally respect and feel safe around me when I start a new job, move house etc.
My race or ethnicity do not make people feel uncomfortable.
I do not worry about losing my house due to my race or ethnicity.
I do not worry about losing my job due to my race or ethnicity.
I do not spend much time thinking about my race, ethnicity and culture at all.
People attribute my successes due to my personal merit.
I can speak and people do not assume that I am “lazy” or unintelligent due to my accent or dialect.
People of my race are represented in the media, widely.
People of my race are represented in the media, positively as well as negatively.
When I am told about our national heritage or about ‘civilization’, I am shown how people of my heritage are part of this and made it what it is.
There have been no attempts to socially or scientifically eliminate people of my RER.
I can expect to see many students and teachers of my race in my educational setting.
I can take days of leave from work on days that are important to me.
The police are there to protect me.
I do not worry that I will be prosecuted unless I commit a serious crime.
People do not hold me as responsible for the actions of other people of my RER.
Socio-Economic Status (SES)
Privilege
I can speak and people do not assume that I am “lazy” or unintelligent due to my accent or dialect.
I can speak / swear without people attributing it to the “low morals” of my SES.
I can commit a crime without people attributing it to the “low morals” of my SES.
I have access to transportation so I can travel to where I need to be.
New services and products are designed with my SES in mind.
New products are marketed with my income bracket in mind.
I can buy new clothes to keep up with fashion trends.
I both know of and can access community resources, for myself and my family.
People of my SES are represented in the media, positively as well as negatively.
All grown ups in my home had a job when I was 14 years old.
Financial determinants have not stopped me from attending further or higher education.
If I need to move house, I have another home to go to straight away.
When I need food I can go to a shop and buy healthy food.
I have a safe and quiet place to study.
I have a bedroom with a bed every night.
My home is at a comfortable temperature all year around.
My health is not impacted by where I live and the home environment.
I can plan on promotion at my place of employment.
My decision to go or not to go to college wasn’t based entirely on financial determinants.
Linguistic
Privilege
I am not worried about assumptions about my intelligence based on my language and linguistic ability.
When I go to new places, I will be able to understand and communicate with the people around me.
I am not infantilized by people I do not know.
People like me are represented in the media, positively as well as negatively.
I have access to role models and accurate media images of people with whom I can identify.
People do not pity me.
People are happy to repeat things for me if I ask.
If I need additional services for every day tasks, I will receive them.
I do not have to worry about making people uncomfortable because of the way that I speak.
My use of language does not impact my choice of housing or employment.
Speaking multiple languages is viewed as a talent, not a disadvantage.
I do not worry about negative performance reviews due to my language use.
People do not fetishise or mock my accent, dialect, and/or language.
People do not ask to learn curse words in my language.
Speaking my native language because it is part of my family’s heritage and this is respected.
People do not constantly correct me when I make a minor error in my second language, or with my grammar.
I can read/ watch/ access the media in my language.
If you would like further help with this, please get in touch with the team here: office@thegec.education.
References for long read article
1 Dewey, John (1930). The school and society. London: Feffer & Simons. Edited by Jo Ann Boydston & John Dewey.
2 https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/evolution-of-the-concept-of-social-capital/
