Village schools as a hub in the community - A time-geographical analysis of the closing of two rural schools in southern Sweden

In rural areas, where schools are more distant, families' daily time-space arrangements are organised around the schools. When local schools are closed, the management of these daily arrangements is stretched even further as families face longer distances to services and new challenges in organising their daily lives. This article focuses on how the closure of rural schools impacts on the everyday lives of families and how a local school serves as a hub for children, parents, and others in the community. This case study was conducted over the course of several years, through field studies and interviews with families (parents and children) and policy-makers before and after two schools were closed. Specifically, the study examines how school closures affect everyday life in rural communities using a time-geographical approach to account for the complex patterns of daily activities, which are determined by local daily practices and social, economic, and geographical structures. By focusing on the rural school as a time-space hub, the analysis reveals that everyday life is organised around the school, which serves as the hub of activities where social networks are created and strengthened. The time-spatial analysis showed that school closures were seen very differently in the local community. The municipal council considered the school closures to be beneficial to the community, but families expressed a loss of life quality when they had to travel longer distances. The families also pointed towards the loss of social networks, thus given them less meaning and flexibility in their everyday lives. The analysis also highlights the potential of adding a time geographical analysis to local policy-making, in particular in rural areas.