What works best to increase students' sense of belonging
Insights from NSW public schools
About this resource
Increasing students’ sense of belonging is a key success measure in the Plan for NSW Public Education. Increasing belonging ensures that students are known, valued and cared for in our schools and lays the foundation for sustained improvements in attendance, literacy and numeracy, and effective post-school pathways.
Alignment with Our Plan for NSW Public Education
The Sense of belonging research series supports the department’s commitment in Our Plan for NSW Public Education to strengthen student wellbeing. Increasing the proportion of students reporting a sense of belonging is a success measure for our goal that every student is known, valued and cared for in our schools. The research series also supports the School Excellence Framework’s three domains. Schools can use this series to reflect on, and modify, their practice in the Framework’s Learning domain (wellbeing), Teaching domain (learning development) and Leading domain (educational leadership, school planning, implementation and reporting).
Students experience a sense of belonging at school when they are recognised and nurtured as individuals. A strong sense of belonging promotes students' wellbeing, academic achievement, and active engagement in their education (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation 2019). In NSW public schools, students report on the level of belonging they experience at school through the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) survey. In the TTFM survey, students’ sense of belonging is measured through questions pertaining to peer relationships and inclusion. Trends in TTFM data indicate that students’ sense of belonging at school has been in decline for both primary and secondary school students since 2017. Students in NSW government and non-government schools, and across Australia, have reported declining levels of overall wellbeing year on year. A survey of around 2,000 Australian teachers, administered by Beyond Blue in 2022, indicated that 80% of the teachers surveyed believe poor mental health is one of the biggest issues facing young people. This trend of declining wellbeing is also reflected in international data over the last decade. In light of this national and international context, the Sense of belonging research series seeks to highlight practical strategies that schools are implementing to maintain and uplift students’ sense of belonging.
Belonging can be defined as students’ feelings of being accepted, respected, valued and included by peers and others at school (NSW Department of Education 2023). Research shows that students who experience a sense of belonging in a nurturing school environment have the strong foundations to fulfil their academic potential. Belonging is an important aspect of wellbeing for students to grow into adults who feel confident in the world post-school (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation 2020). For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, sense of belonging is closely related to connections to their culture, autonomy and connection to country. Further resources about TTFM’s sense of belonging measures can be found on the Tell Them From Me website.
CESE has created a series of publications which outlines the strategies of schools featured in this website in more detail.
How to use this resource
This resource outlines practical strategies used in diverse school contexts across NSW to facilitate a strong sense of belonging amongst students. The strategies are organised according to whether they can be implemented at the student, whole-school or community level. The strategies are paired with key insights as observed by schools themselves. Further resources can be found at the end of this webpage, including details about each individual school included in the Sense of belonging research series.
Defining sense of belonging
Sense of belonging refers to students’ feelings of being valued by their peers and by others at school. It reflects the extent to which students feel personally accepted, respected, included, and supported by others at school. Students’ sense of belonging is connected to their academic achievement and overall wellbeing. Sense of belonging has a strong influence on students’ academic motivation and outcomes. Students who have a strong sense of belonging also tend to be happier, have greater interest in school activities, and are more confident (NSW Department of Education 2023). The Ambassador Schools project identified a focus on wellbeing and emotional support as a key enabling factor for effective school practice. Fostering wellbeing, and by extension sense of belonging, involves supporting students with an ethos of kindness and care. Sense of belonging is achieved when students feel deeply understood for their circumstances and needs (NSW Department of Education 2023).
The Department has published research findings and resources for schools highlighting the importance of belonging in a series of publications and websites.
How the schools were selected
Schools were selected for this research series based on their high sense of belonging scores in the TTFM student survey relative to the NSW average. In the TTFM survey, students’ sense of belonging is measured through questions pertaining to peer relationships and inclusion.
The research also includes two communities where a pair of schools in close proximity have worked collaboratively to support students’ belonging. These schools are Lambton High School and New Lambton South Public School; and Temora High School and Temora Public School. The findings for these schools are presented together to highlight the influence of community factors on student belonging.
Schools involved in this research series
| School | Principal network | Family Occupation and Education Index | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epping Public School | Metropolitan North (Gordon) | -0.98 | School with a high sense of belonging scores for girls in comparison to boys |
| Girraween High School | Metropolitan South (Girraween) | 2 | Fully selective school |
| Lambton High School | Regional North (Newcastle) | 55 | Schools located near each other in a community, both demonstrating above average sense of belonging scores |
| New Lambton South Public School | Regional North (Glenrock) | 39 | |
| Macarthur Girls High School | Metropolitan South (Parramatta) | 59 | Single sex girls’ school |
| The Meadows Public School | Metropolitan South and West (Bungaribee) | 110 | School with a high proportion of students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds |
| Temora High School | Rural South and West (Temora) | 115 | Schools located near each other in a community, both demonstrating above average sense of belonging scores |
| Temora Public School | Rural South and West (Temora) | 97 |
Insights from NSW public schools
Student level strategies
Sense of belonging can be fostered for individual students by building positive emotional connections to peers and teachers. Students feel a sense of belonging when they experience support and inclusion within the school environment.
Formal and informal mentoring programs help students feel connected to, and seen by, their peers and teachers. Peer mentoring and mentoring between students and teachers can be embedded in school routines to support belonging. Schools can facilitate belonging using mentoring programs such as:
- Vertical mentoring: Year 7 students can be allocated with a peer mentoring group with one other student from each year level (Years 8 to 12). The students stay in the same mentoring group until they finish school. When Year 7 students move on to Year 8, a new cohort of Year 7 students join the peer mentoring group, giving all students the opportunity to act as mentors.
- HSC mentoring: In small groups, classroom teachers can meet with students once a fortnight for approximately 15 minutes to discuss students’ progress and set goals for the HSC. Teachers are given the choice to focus on specific topics depending on students’ needs and interests. Topics covered during the mentoring sessions include exam tips and effective studying strategies.
- ‘Buddies’ programs: In primary school, younger students can be paired with older students to facilitate peer mentoring. Together, the buddies can complete activities such as discussing a Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) element, taking the younger students on a tour to different areas of the school, and talking about appropriate playground behaviour. The buddies can also participate in an informal peer tutoring system where the older students can lead simple literacy activities in collaboration with teachers.
The point of [the mentoring programs] is having a teacher that students connect with. The teacher might have a group of three students they catch up with at recess for 15 minutes. The Wellbeing team put together a slideshow of themes that teachers can mentor students on, like setting up a study environment, [and] getting enough sleep.
Girraween High School
We started up a Kindergarten system at the end of last year, then a much more structured program this year just to build that sense of ownership and responsibility. It has worked... you see [Stage 3 students] in the playground, helping the kids making sure they’re in all the right areas.
The Meadows Public School
Students feel a sense of belonging when they become active participants in shaping their school community. This engagement empowers them to have a voice and influence decisions around the school that impact them. Students can engage in advocacy and leadership in the following ways:
Structured leadership programs: In high school, students can earn leadership positions (e.g., School Captains, prefects) through rigorous selection processes. To be successfully selected as school leaders, students demonstrate a sustained contribution to the school across several domains such as participation in extracurricular activities, academic effort, and service to the school community (e.g., acting as a school photographer or participating in a fundraiser).
- Having a say in school decisions: Schools can consult with students about changes that have an impact on them. For example, students can suggest new playground equipment to be installed, or redesign the merit award system.
- Active dialogue with executive staff: When executive staff have an ‘open door’ policy and remain accessible by students, they can give direct feedback to executive staff. This feedback can be facilitated during fortnightly assemblies for each stage or other informal conversations.
Students are feeling a bit more connected to the school because it’s like you can’t help but be engaged in the school community if you want to achieve student leadership. It’s like an inbuilt system.
Girraween High School
We’re very big on the student voice aspect. It’s getting the students involved in the whole process, and we ensure that they’re actually getting actioned, and the students have to see that.
Epping Public School
What I think other schools could learn is providing those opportunities for students to have a really clear voice... [Telling students] that you have responsibilities and part of your responsibility is being active in communicating how you learn and what you need.
Macarthur Girls High School
Schools can embrace individual students’ strengths through the provision of extracurricular activities aligned with their interests. Students can feel a greater sense of belonging when they connect with staff through extracurricular programs outside of the traditional classroom environment.
Wide variety of extracurriculars: Schools can consider the needs and interests of students when providing extracurricular activities. Depending on the school’s capacity for equipment and staffing, activities offered could include cooking, clay molding, textiles and woodwork which can run on a regular basis in addition to offerings as electives.
Connection with teachers: Students can connect with teachers through extracurricular activities, such as sports clubs, debating, chess, band and dance. Schools can build on students’ interests while fostering supportive relationships between students and teachers who run the extracurricular activities.
Every student has to have something every week that they love... I think providing that really safe space for kids means that they’ve got a good sense of belonging.
New Lambton South Public School
We have different extracurricular activities in addition to sports because it was what our kids wanted. It was their interest and what they wanted to succeed in.
Temora Public School
Insights from NSW public schools
Whole-school level strategies
At the whole school level, a sense of belonging can be cultivated through inclusive practices, policies facilitating school unity and shared values that contribute to a cohesive learning environment for students and staff.
Celebrating the cultural diversity of students and families at the whole-school level enhances students’ feelings of inclusion. Intentional strategies to embrace diversity can lead to students feeling accepted and valued as integral members of the school community.
Embracing diverse languages: Various signs around the school (e.g., the welcome sign, signages for different school buildings) can be displayed in the main languages spoken by the student cohort. Schools can encourage multilingual greetings between teachers, students and their peers.
Parental cultural groups: Schools can be a site for hosting informal, regular meetings between families from the same cultural backgrounds to facilitate networking and friendship.
Knowing students deeply: Deep knowledge of students’ cultural backgrounds means schools are better able to recognise diversity specific to the school’s population. This includes celebrating cultural days as part of the school calendar (e.g., Diwali for schools with high enrolment of Indian students) and integrating cultural elements during classroom activities (e.g., weaving and learning about traditional medicines to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives; co-creating murals with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students).
We want all students to feel a sense of belonging in our school, therefore we embrace different cultures in our school... We want to make the parents feel welcome, and for students to see that they’re being represented in lots of different ways.
Epping Public School
There was a connection that we didn’t have previously that was formed through sitting with some of these kids and completing the art projects... Through that [process] there was a real sense of story and ownership.
The Meadows Public School
Schools can promote a strong sense of belonging by fostering a culture of unity. To achieve this, the school can create an environment for the school community to come together as a collective whole, connected by a set of key values.
Shared explicitly stated values: Having a shared set of values that are regularly referred to by students and staff can contribute to a sense of unity in the school community. Schools can establish a core set of expectations that is known and understood by the entire school community, which is reinforced in the language used during assemblies, lessons and around the school.
Creating a school identity: A sense of belonging to a school can be created through designing school uniforms or sports jerseys in collaboration with students; collaboratively painting a mural in the playground representing the school; and investing in the physical upkeep of the school so that students feel pride in belonging to the school community.
[PRIDE] is the language we speak at our school. So if I have to discuss any challenges with students or things like that, I will say, what do you think I’m concerned about? Nine times out of ten the girls will go to one of these values and actually define what they’ve been working on.
Macarthur Girls High School
We have all four jerseys co-designed [by students]. They have their own numbers, and the staff wear them as well, and they’ve got our school colours. You get off the bus and the other schools are just wearing their sports uniform. The other kids see that, they notice it, and they do make comments about how good our jerseys look. There is the sense of pride because other schools comment on it.
The Meadows Public School
Insights from NSW public schools
Community level strategies
A sense of belonging can extend to the wider community. Schools can build partnerships with the broader local community, in collaboration with families, as a shared commitment to create an environment where all students feel connected to support networks outside the school.
Partnerships with students’ families can foster a sense of belonging for the whole school community. Schools can enhance students’ connection to the school by collaborating closely with parents and caregivers.
- Opportunities for families to engage with the school: Schools can provide ample opportunities throughout the year to welcome families onto the campus and form connections with staff. Formal events to facilitate this connection can include:
- Transitions days to welcome Year 6 students who are entering high school
- Regular meetings for students and parents in each year group, especially for those in Years 10 to 12 to discuss education pathways and career planning
- Parent information evenings tailored to topics that interest them, such as cyber safety for children
- Literacy and numeracy workshops to provide families with practical strategies to work on with their children at home
- Parent teacher interviews
- Celebrating student achievement: Schools can organise special assemblies to acknowledge student successes and invite families to join this celebration. This can include opportunities for parents and caregivers to join teachers and students at special ceremonies, such as awards breakfasts.
- Including families in school life: Schools can invite families to take part in meaningful school activities such as excursions, reading groups and staffing the school canteen.
Parent engagement is just so important with the sense of wellbeing. You’ve got to create a school that is welcoming to the entire community and find all those ways to keep bringing parents in. That’s probably the strongest way to get the sense of belonging going.
Lambton High School
We’re about education and our responsibility to the kids. Everything we do with the community is trying to make a connection. If the parents feel like they belong, then the kids are more likely to feel like they belong.
Epping Public School
Schools are uniquely positioned to act as a central point in advocating for students’ wellbeing and connecting families with relevant external services. This is especially relevant for regional, rural or remote schools with a tightknit local community.
Drawing on external programs: Schools can draw upon external providers to run different programs to holistically address students’ wellbeing and boost their sense of belonging. The wellbeing programs can be targeted for students, with different topics for each year level. Examples of topics include healthy body image and the importance of proper sleep. A range of guest speakers and related workshops can be allocated for each topic to make the programs engaging and practical.
One thing that we’ve noticed was needing to be able to engage better with the community by getting in external providers. The student leadership made it really clear to us that they would prefer external providers to come in and deliver content for us. They feel like they get more from that.
Lambton High School
The one we’re doing now is called the Resilience Project. We’re going to launch it for our school, but our main objective is community; we want sporting groups, health services, local businesses and youth services all talking the same language. It’s going to be a community-based project.
Temora Public School
Insights from NSW public schools
Snapshots of practice
Fostering belonging for students in rural and isolated areas: Dubbo School of Distance Education
Dubbo School of Distance Education is on the lands of the Tubbagah People of the Wiradjuri Nation, located about 300 kilometres north-west of Sydney. The school provides educational services for students from Preschool to Year 12 who reside across New South Wales communities, often in isolated geographical areas. The school facilitates a sense of belonging from the very beginning of the school term by setting up a personalised induction program for each student. The induction involves a classroom teacher hosting online meetings with students one-on-one. Students have the opportunity to connect with a friendly face and raise questions before settling into their learning.
The school encourages all students to visit the school in person during the term by organising residential camps and workshops. The school runs a primary and secondary school camp each term, where students can stay at the on-site residential motel. During camp, the staff run activities that promote friendship between peers. For HSC students, the school runs specialised overnight camps focusing on Key Learning Areas. For example, students can attend Creative Art camps to complete major works while being guided by their teacher, or Agriculture camps to learn about riding the tractor. The school has recently introduced a four-night camp known as a ‘muster’ for all students from Preschool to Year 12, which concludes with a special presentation assembly on the last day. These opportunities to meet and connect support students to feel that they are part of a community of learners and increase their sense of belonging.
Fostering belonging for students with complex needs: Cook School
Cook School is a School for Specific Purposes (SSP) located on the lands of Dharawal people in Sutherland Shire, NSW. The school provides support for students who have previously found mainstream classroom settings to be challenging. The school has separate streams according to student needs. At Cook School, the staff employs various strategies to foster a sense of belonging among the diverse student population. All staff practise holding students in unconditional positive regard. This principle is underpinned by the belief that individuals should be shown complete acceptance and support for who they are. Every day, students know they are valued and respected by staff. When students initially enter the classroom, teachers dedicate the first 20 minutes for easing students into the school day. They connect with the teacher during this time with relationship building activities, such as board games or conversations about what they did on the weekend. The school also works closely with families to support students. Communication books are updated daily by both families and classroom teachers with details about how the school day went, any changes in students’ home or school routines and any other issues that may impact the student. In the book, families may request the student to work on their preferred activity in the morning or have additional time to settle into the day. These supportive and inclusive approaches help students to understand that they are an important and valued part of the school and help ensure that they feel like they belong.
Fostering belonging for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
Sense of belonging at school has been declining for all equity groups, but Aboriginal students are one of the groups that have experienced the largest declines along with students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and girls.
The following resources may assist in fostering a positive sense of belonging for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students at school:
Stronger Smarter Institute offers strategies that can be used at the classroom and school level, including Yarning Circles, embedding Indigenous perspectives across the curriculum, and intentionally supporting families to build trusting relationships.
Strong Strides Together provides evidence-based themes on how to create high-quality learning environments that support education goals for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students.
The Australian Educational Researcher presents findings from focus groups with 58 young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participants. They reveal the importance of recognising students’ aspirations, addressing challenges and celebrating their cultural identities within the education system.