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The importance of belonging
3rd November 2023
One of the privileges of my job as a headteacher is that I get to attend training and conferences and listen to a range of interesting and thought-provoking speakers. Lately there has been a theme emerging – that of belonging. Research suggests this is a core human need.
The dictionary definition of belonging is: “a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group and having a good relationship with the other members of the group because they welcome you and accept you”.
At Burpham, our team have been reflecting on what great teaching looks like, i.e. what is happening in the classroom to create a great climate for learning? One word that comes up time and again is “relationships”. As educators we know that children learn best when they believe that the adults in school like them.
Put simply, children and young people who feel they belong achieve better than those that don’t feel wanted or part of the group. When we are “all in it together” we create a culture that allows adults and children to thrive.
For our school the decision to become an academy was based on wanting to feel connected and part of a group - with other local schools, like-minded colleagues and our wider community. So far, I’m pleased to report that we have been made to feel very welcome by everyone at Learning Partners and are already seeing the benefits of working together as a group for the good of all the children we serve.
We are looking forward to building on these new working relationships and feeling like we belong!
One of the privileges of my job as a headteacher is that I get to attend training and conferences and listen to a range of interesting and thought-provoking speakers. Lately there has been a theme emerging – that of belonging. Research suggests this is a core human need.
The dictionary definition of belonging is: “a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group and having a good relationship with the other members of the group because they welcome you and accept you”.
At Burpham, our team have been reflecting on what great teaching looks like, i.e. what is happening in the classroom to create a great climate for learning? One word that comes up time and again is “relationships”. As educators we know that children learn best when they believe that the adults in school like them.
Put simply, children and young people who feel they belong achieve better than those that don’t feel wanted or part of the group. When we are “all in it together” we create a culture that allows adults and children to thrive.
For our school the decision to become an academy was based on wanting to feel connected and part of a group - with other local schools, like-minded colleagues and our wider community. So far, I’m pleased to report that we have been made to feel very welcome by everyone at Learning Partners and are already seeing the benefits of working together as a group for the good of all the children we serve.
We are looking forward to building on these new working relationships and feeling like we belong!
