School Belonging Case Studies Research
Ipsos, in partnership with TONIC, Professor Kathryn Riley and the Anna Freud Centre, was appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver in-depth case study research on school belonging. The research explores how mainstream primary and secondary schools in England embed belonging practices while maintaining high standards of pupil attendance and attainment.
Commissioned by DfE’s Pupil Wellbeing and Experience Analysis and Research team, the study is intended to inform the government's Opportunity Mission and forthcoming DfE guidance on pupil engagement.
The research utilised an in-depth qualitative case study design across 16 mainstream primary and secondary schools, selected to capture diversity in school type, phase, geography and pupil population, and to reflect schools with a demonstrated intentionality towards building belonging alongside strong attendance and attainment trends.
Within each case study school, data collection included: semi-structured interviews with a member of the senior leadership team, interviews with a parent governor, a staff focus group, two pupil focus groups using age-appropriate creative methods and structured observations of school infrastructure and assemblies.
A slide deck of key findings and recommendations specifically tailored for school staff can be accessed below.
The full research report and three-page summary can be accessed on the DfE’s website here.
Key Insights
- School leaders, staff and pupils conceptualise belonging through five interconnected dimensions: safety and security, inclusion, collective identity, individual recognition, and positive relationships.
- Fostering belonging isn't the responsibility of one person or team - it's built by everyone in a school working together: senior leaders, all staff (not just pastoral teams), and pupils themselves, alongside the physical spaces pupils use, the wider community, and parents.
- Six core practice areas emerge across schools: strong relationships; giving pupils a voice and real responsibility; celebrating diversity and tackling discrimination; building a strong school identity; supporting pupils individually; and connecting pupils to life beyond the school gates.
- Context shapes, but does not predetermine, a school's belonging journey - successful practice requires schools to understand their own community.
- The research reveals a powerful perceived reciprocal relationship where belonging, attendance, and attainment reinforce one another. Pupils who feel they belong want to attend school; regular attendance enables deeper engagement with learning; academic success reinforces belonging. This creates a virtuous cycle rather than competing priorities.
- Measuring belonging remains challenging, as it is difficult to isolate and quantify; schools instead draw on a combination of attendance data, wellbeing surveys, pupil voice engagement and family participation to track progress over time.
