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What does the latest #BeeWell evidence briefing tell us about school belonging?
A new #BeeWell Evidence Brief focuses on school belonging, using data from our 2023 survey. The 2023 survey was completed by approximately 40,000 young people in 253 schools across Greater Manchester (GM), and Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton (HIPS).
School belonging refers to the extent to which young people feel accepted, respected, included, and supported by others in school; maintaining a sense of belonging is a basic human need and therefore fundamental to wellbeing (National Children’s Bureau, 2024). Previous #BeeWell research has demonstrated that it is the strongest predictor of later wellbeing among a range of school-related factors in our survey and, indeed, that there is a reciprocal relationship between school belonging and wellbeing over time (that is, higher levels of school belonging leads to enhanced wellbeing, and enhanced wellbeing leads to higher levels of school belonging (Khanna et al, 2024a, 2024b).
The briefing asks:
The briefing found:
A range of school-related factors were found to be associated with levels of school belonging. In order of magnitude, these were: relationships with school staff, happiness with attainment, bullying, and to a lesser extent, school pressure and peer pressure. These factors partially, or in some cases fully, explain the socio-demographic inequalities in school belonging that we identified (e.g. after accounting for school-related factors, ethnic disparities in school belonging are reduced to a level at which they are no longer statistically significant).
There was evidence of inequalities in school belonging across socio-demographic groups. For example, older pupils report significantly lower levels of school belonging than younger pupils. Similarly, young people with special educational needs (SEN) reported significantly lower school belonging than their peers without SEN. Notably, in this case, we found that the magnitude of inequalities varied across schools, meaning that the size of the gap between those with and without SEN depends at least in part on what school they attend.
We found that just over 3% of the variation in school belonging is attributable to differences between schools. This ‘school effect’ is modest but somewhat more substantial than for other key outcomes in the #BeeWell survey (e.g. life satisfaction, loneliness). There was also evidence that it varied across some socio-demographic groups (e.g. larger school effect on school belonging for young people eligible for free school meals than for their non-eligible peers).
The briefing makes the following key recommendations:
Prioritise the promotion of school belonging
Our findings demonstrate that differences between schools explain somewhat more of the variation in school belonging than they do for some other key outcomes in the #BeeWell survey (e.g. self-esteem). This, alongside our other evidence that it is a key driver of later wellbeing, indicates that promotion of school belonging should be prioritised. The Mentally Healthy Schools website offers some suggestions on areas for schools to consider in addressing school belonging.
Address inequalities in school belonging, particularly for young people with SEN
We found clear evidence of disparities in school belonging between different socio-demographic groups (e.g. those eligible and not eligible for FSM), and it is important that these are addressed. In particular, our analyses indicated that the magnitude of inequality between young people with and without SEN depends at least in part on what school they attend. This indicates that schools may be particularly well-placed to ‘narrow the gap’ in school belonging between young people with SEN and their peers.
Following a literature review carried out with researchers from Goldsmiths and University of London, the National Children’s Bureau has set out a range of factors influencing school belonging including specific considerations in nurturing this among under-represented and marginalised populations in UK schools. Their findings discuss challenges and opportunities for young people in minoritised ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ pupils, and those with SEND, and can be found here.
Target the school-related factors that make a difference to school belonging, particularly relationships with staff, happiness with attainment, and bullying
We found that three school-related factors were more strongly related to school belonging than others: relationships with staff, happiness with attainment, and bullying. Prioritising the development and maintenance of positive relationships between young people and their teachers, cultivating more inclusive approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, and working to prevent bullying, each offer promise as a means through which to enhance school belonging. In doing so, our analysis indicates that the inequalities noted above could be reduced.
In this toolkit, Anna Freud and the Early Intervention Foundation have set out some practical strategies for building positive relationships between staff and students, and creating inclusive classroom environments. The Education Endowment Foundation also sets out some design principles for an inclusive school on its website here. In winter 2024, #BeeWell shone a spotlight on bullying: you can see a summary of the most recent research evidence about bullying and how to tackle it on our website here, along with some top tips for schools, and links to a range of resources and toolkits for schools here .
Shining a spotlight on school belonging and support! Over March and April 2025 we are particularly highlighting research, partner action and young people’s perspectives on school belonging and support.
