Belonging in school: Creating an inclusive environment

LIZZIE NURSE, ASSISTANT HEAD SENDCO, SHERBORNE GIRLS, UK This perspective piece considers the importance of school belonging to all students, but especially to students with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), who tend to have a much lower sense of belonging than their peers. In the current school climate, where absenteeism and mental health issues are two of the biggest obstacles to success for young people, exploring how to create a curriculum and environment that helps to counter these may be the most valuable activity that schools can undertake. This article explores research on the varied impact of staff and peer relationships, extra-curricular activities, inclusion and student agency as potential factors in creating a sense of school belonging, as well as reflections on my own setting, a single-sex boarding school, and whether the research matches the student experience there. Over 30 years ago, Goodenow and Grady were discussing the importance of school belon