School belonging is a complex area that is thought about by researchers in different ways. To gain an understanding of belonging, it is useful to explore each of these theoretical positions and their application to school contexts.

• A philosophical understanding of belonging highlights that belongingness is not singular or static, but rather is a dynamic construct that relates to how common histories, experiences and places are conceived and sustained. This tradition highlights the importance of considering the many identities and senses of belonging that children and young people form within and beyond the classroom and their school.
• From a psychological understanding, belongingness is a psychological state that can be viewed as an essential human need and thus a fundamental goal of student wellbeing at school.
• From a sociological understanding, sense of belonging can be seen as context specific, where social identity is characterised through a connection to place and informs a sense of community. Each school and classroom must be considered as a unique context where the social exchanges of teaching and learning involve a balance between personal and social identities.

School belonging is characterised by various interconnected concepts, methods and theoretical positions. This broad ideology generates multiple avenues for understanding students’ sense of belonging within NSW schools.

In addition, Indigenous sense of belonging encompasses the recognition of their culture, autonomy, and connection to country. For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, connection to country and culture play an important role in various aspects of their wellbeing, including health, spirituality and identity. Autonomy, self-determination and strong cultural identity can also contribute to nurturing sense of belonging for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students (Yap & Yu 2016).

Why is sense of belonging important?

Research shows a students’ sense of belonging at school is linked to their academic achievement and wellbeing. Students who have a high sense of belonging in school generally put in more effort and are more motivated at school, have lower absenteeism and thus higher academic outcomes. Students who feel accepted and included at school tend to be happier, have greater interest in school activities, and are more confident. Alternatively, when students do not feel they belong at school they tend to reject school values, withdraw from school activities, and become alienated or disaffected.

Sense of belonging is also paramount in early childhood contexts, where children’s relationships with others play an important role in shaping their identities and influencing their sense of place in the world. Further information on supporting children’s sense of belonging in early childhood contexts can be found in the Early Years Learning Framework.

Further information on the value of sense of belonging can be found in the factsheet How a positive sense of belonging helps students thrive (PDF 611 KB)

Measuring students’ perceptions of belonging in NSW public schools

In NSW public schools, sense of belonging is measured through the Tell Them From Me (1) student surveys. The sense of belonging measure concerns students’ feelings of being accepted and valued by their peers and by others at school. It reflects the extent to which students feel personally accepted, respected, included, and supported in the school social environment (2).

In the surveys, students are asked whether they feel included and accepted at school and if they make friends easily. The data is scaled on a 10-point scale, and students with a score greater than or equal to 6 (that is, slightly higher than neutral) are considered to have a ‘positive sense of belonging’. The results are reported as ‘the percentage of students with a positive sense of belonging’.

Sense of belonging and Our Plan for NSW Public Education

The Plan for NSW Public Education sets out the department’s direction and priorities for 2024-2027 to provide an outstanding education for every learner. The commitment that ‘every student learns, grows and belongs in an equitable and outstanding education system’ will be implemented through the Plan’s focus areas, actions, goals and success measures.

The primary and secondary student surveys support our focus area to strengthen student wellbeing and development with the goal that every student is known, valued and cared for. A measure of success for the department to track progress towards this goal is the proportion of students reporting a sense of belonging, gauged in the student surveys. The sense of belonging measure of success is reviewed at the state level to monitor progress towards providing equitable and outstanding public education.

Further information on measuring sense of belonging can be found in the factsheet Measuring student wellbeing for school-improvement (PDF 194KB).

Sense of belonging and the School Excellence Framework

The School Excellence Framework (SEF) Improvement Model supports schools to determine focus areas for ongoing improvement. The model identifies whole-school and classroom elements as improvement enablers which support effective teaching and wellbeing practices, leading to student growth and performance. Research shows improving a student's sense of belonging can have positive impacts on various focus areas in the SEF. The figure below highlights the positive correlation between students’ sense of belonging and various elements in the model.

The Framework supports all NSW public schools in their pursuit of equity and excellence by providing a description of the 14 key elements of high-quality practice across the three domains of learning, teaching, and leading. The commitment to equity and excellence means that every student can learn, grow and belong. The Framework recognises the importance of students’ wellbeing and belonging through multiple references throughout its element and theme descriptions.

Learning domain

• Learning culture: school culture is strongly focused on learning and transitions, wellbeing, fostering educational aspirations and ongoing performance improvement throughout the school community.
• Wellbeing: there is a strategic and planned approach to develop whole school wellbeing processes that support the wellbeing of all students so they can connect, succeed, thrive and learn.

Teaching domain

• Data skills and use: student data is regularly used school-wide to identify student achievements, progress and wellbeing needs, in order to reflect on teaching effectiveness and inform future school directions.

Leading domain

• Educational leadership: the community engagement theme highlights the importance of a collaborative culture to build a cohesive educational community and enhanced sense of belonging.
• School resources: the facilities theme highlights the importance of a creative and sustainable approach to the use of the physical environment, ensuring that it optimises learning and wellbeing.

Sense of belonging and schools’ improvement measures

From 2024, schools are encouraged to have a purposeful focus on a small number of improvement measures within their Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP). These improvement measures are aligned to the focus areas of reading, numeracy, attendance and pathways (for schools with secondary students). Schools are encouraged to set aspirational, yet achievable measures that are appropriate for each school’s context and that speak to the needs of the school and its students. There is strong evidence that a student’s positive sense of belonging has a positive relationship with each of the focus areas.

In NSW, schools can examine the extent to which their students experience a positive sense of belonging at school through data collected in the student survey. This survey asks students whether they feel included and accepted at school and if they make friends easily.

Key messages

In NSW public schools, sense of belonging is measured via the Tell Them From Me student survey. The department provides access to a number of resources for schools to better understand their sense of belonging data.

Where can I find information?

Information for NSW public schools on Tell Them From Me registration, survey windows, survey options and links to school improvement is available on the department’s Tell Them From Me page.

The department's Tell Them From Me team is available to provide support for schools individually, in targeted groups, or across school networks. Professional Learning opportunities have a strong alignment with The Plan for NSW Public Education and the process of actioning student survey data in relation to the What Works Best and School Excellence frameworks. For further details on the different professional learning opportunities available, please visit the Tell Them From Me training page.

How can I access my school’s data?

Scout

Results of several key student survey measures, including sense of belonging, are available to school leaders on the What Works Best Scout report. These are updated after the end of the first survey window each year. More information on these reports can be found on the Scout apps and reports page.

Research by the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) has identified whole-school and classroom practices which can drive a positive sense of belonging. It is important to consider your own school’s context and sense of belonging data when considering which strategies might support belonging for your students. Student connectedness and feelings of belonging are linked to student wellbeing, therefore schools may be able to develop and expand wellbeing practices to target student belonging.

Strategies which assist students to feel connected to their school can be implemented in the following capacities:

• whole-school approaches
• classroom approaches
• targeted approaches.

Whole-school approaches

Schools can implement a whole-school approach to foster sense of belonging across the entire student body.

Classroom approaches

Classroom teachers are in a key position to help students feel like they belong at school. Teachers have the opportunity to observe, respond to and model appropriate behaviour to promote belonging in the classroom.

Targeted approaches

Some groups of students may be at risk of experiencing lower levels of belonging and can benefit from targeted programs to boost their connectedness to school.

Students at risk include those:

• from different cultural or language backgrounds
• with disabilities
• who identify as LGBTQIA+
• from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds.

Belonging initiatives can also be targeted to address differences in reported sense of belonging between cohort groups, for example between boys and girls, or between students in different grades at school. It is important to consider your school’s specific context when implementing targeted practices. The different student groups referred to in this section may or may not be experiencing lower levels of belonging at your school.

Strategies to improve sense of belonging

A Sense of belonging research series has been developed to provide schools with examples of strategies that facilitate a strong sense of belonging. These strategies have been implemented across diverse contexts in New South Wales schools. The 8 schools presented in the research series each have their own approaches to improving wellbeing for their specific school setting and maintaining a positive sense of belonging at the student, school and community level. Common strategies used across the different schools include formal student mentoring programs, celebrating student diversity and forming close relationships with families. The research series also draws on photographs and lesson resources from the schools that could be adapted to your context.

The Sense of belonging research series can be accessed here.