The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) is excited to launch a new and innovative, evidence-based 18-month programme designed to develop and enhance pupils' sense of belonging within school.
Academic achievement, good mental health and wellbeing are significantly influenced by pupils' sense of belonging and this trailblazing programme will provide schools with the support needed to embed a whole-school approach to 'belonging'.
The 'Belonging Matters' is an 18-month programme offered for free to 10 schools in London, to start in June 2024. This pilot programme is intended for mainstream schools, special schools and Alternative Provision, across both primary and secondary phases. With increasing concerns about barriers to school attendance, rising mental health difficulties amongst pupils, and school access to early help and specialist services in limited supply, supporting schools to develop and enhance their universal offer of inclusive education will benefit all pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those with special education needs (SEN) who face significantly more barriers to accessing school life.
Why get involved?
Belonging Matters is underpinned by research evaluating the key components of 'belonging' and their influence on pupil outcomes. The programme incorporates these findings into a whole-school framework, enabling all pupils to feel they belong at school and access benefits from the advantages that this sense of connection provides.
Schools on the programme will work with us to develop a 360° whole-school audit tool and data-driven action plan, customised for their school, and an online Pupil Belonging Questionnaire. NCB's expert support package will also include:
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Access to a community of practice to share knowledge, learning and resources;
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A year's free access to expert support and from NCB;
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Free training for schools to increase knowledge and understanding of the Belonging framework and bespoke guidance on implementation;
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Access to a range of school-wide data that supports school improvement and will help evidence progress and impact for Ofsted inspections or workforce development initiatives.
Research has shown that school belonging contributes to not only academic achievement and future aspirations for pupils, but is also associated with wellbeing, mental health and self-esteem. Higher levels of school help prevent pupil disengagement, absenteeism and school distress as with more positive attitudes to learning and overall life satisfaction.
How do schools get involved?
Places are extremely limited, and we only have space for 10 schools for this trailblazing programme for the next 18 months. The programme is for London schools and will be selecting schools that we know can commit to taking part.
Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to understand how much Belonging Matters!
If you’d like to find out more, we would love to invite you to an information sharing session on Zoom, Wednesday 22nd May 4pm, where we will share more information about this programme and what it involves. If you cannot attend this date but would still like more information, we can share a recording with you following the session or arrange a meeting with you to discuss further. Please email us on [email protected] for further details.