SCHOOLS AS PLACES
OF BELONGING
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR SCHOOL BELONGING
FINDING ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
Belonging is that sense of feeling confident that you will fit in. It’s a way of being with – and relating to – ourselves and the world around us. A sense of belonging encourages us to grow into our identity and become part of the ‘place’ in which we find ourselves. The ‘place’ I’m discussing is school.
- A sense of school belonging encourages young people to listen and learn from others, and to grow in confidence and knowledge.
- When young people experience a sense of school belonging, they are happier, perform better academically and come to believe in themselves.
- They also feel more connected, and this inspires them to live on this planet with dignity, setting them on a pathway to citizenship – personal, social and global.
Thinking what to do next?
Then join me in asking the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions about school belonging.
It’s about ‘seeing’ things differently; ‘thinking’ about things differently; and ‘acting’ differently.
THEME 1: WAYS OF SEEING
WHY SCHOOLS NEED TO BE PLACES OF BELONGING
Q1. Why is school belonging important?
BELONGING is that sense of being somewhere you can be confident you will fit in, a feeling of being safe in your identity and of being at home in a place. In a world on the move, so often characterised by displacement and up-rootedness, disconnection and disengagement, belonging matters to all of us. We all want to be known and seen for who we are.
Our young people are on the cusp of their lives and belonging matters even more to them. Yet the Covid -19 pandemic has exacerbated divisions within and across society, shaking young people’s lives and expectations in ways we have yet to fully comprehend. In today’s strange and difficult times, schools need to be places of belonging and possibilities.
THEME 2: WAYS OF THINKING
THE EVIDENCE ABOUT EXCLUSION, OSTRACISATION, BELONGING
Q2. What happens when young people feel they don’t belong?
Schools are one of the few points of stability in the lives of many young people. Yet across OECD countries, young people’s sense of belonging is declining, with nearly 1 in 3 now feeling they don’t belong in school. Some – and arguably those young people with the greatest needs – find themselves being handed the ultimate ‘red card’ of exclusion.
The social and economic consequences of exclusion, ostracisation and a sense of ‘not’ belonging on individuals and society are far reaching. The disaffected search for ‘belongingness’ elsewhere, finding it in many ways, including extremism, self-harming and gang membership. The excluded become the exploited.
Q3. What do schools look like where belonging works?
In schools where belonging works more young people experience a sense of connectedness and friendship, perform better academically and come to believe in themselves. Their teachers also feel more professionally fulfilled and their families more accepted.
School belonging is as important for adults as young people. In schools characterised by belonging, you will hear little about ‘tough’ sanction-based behaviour policies which depend on exclusion and social isolation. Both staff and students report that their voices are heard, and that they enjoy school life.
THEME 3: WAYS OF ACTING
HOW CAN WE ACT TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE?
Q4. How can school and system leaders make a difference?
Leaders are the mediating force whose values shape the culture of the school. Their actions and inactions determine whose voices are heard and whose are overlooked. Whether a school becomes a place of welcome and possibilities, or a closed place where young people are ostracised by a clique of peers and staff feel unappreciated, is down to the leadership.
At a locality level, the strategic intent and actions of school and local systems leaders will have a significant impact on the lives of children, young people and their families. National governments set the tone and the framework of possibilities. Belonging and compassion need to go hand in hand at all three levels.
The neuroscience tells us that we are ‘hardwired’ for compassion and we also know that the journey to kindness and compassion has benefits for all. In these difficult times, new forms of compassionate, relational and place-based leadership are needed to help build trust and bring communities on board.
Q5. How can we change things?
Change happens through purposeful intentions and thoughtful actions. The process starts by planning the journey and the planning includes agreeing on the principles which will guide that journey, and deciding how to bring others onboard.
Once leaders signal their positive intentions and walk their relational practices with compassion, schools and organisations can catch breath and begin to move forward. The process of collaborative engagement generated is enjoyable and can help create a sense of agency in all concerned.
Agency is a belief that what you do makes a real difference and having the skills and opportunity to act. Agency is a key part of belonging. A sense of agency enables staff to flourish as professionals. It propels young people to walk through their life with confidence and awareness of the needs of others and the fragility of our planet.
Thematic illustrations for the five questions by Kristy Campbell, commissioned by TheArtofPossibilities.