Student engagement

A student’s engagement with their education extends beyond academics. Participation at school supports a child’s personal development and builds confidence as well as a sense of belonging. 

In turn, greater belonging at school improves attendance, participation in lessons and boosts young people’s wellbeing. As such, it’s vital that schools prioritise student engagement both in the classroom and beyond.

Schools have a wealth of data for each student – but it’s rarely held in one place. For example, each student’s learning data, extracurricular activities and wellbeing are often all tracked separately. 

This makes it hard for schools to spot patterns in a student’s engagement, and even harder to identify areas where student engagement could be better.

Research from the Social Mobility Commission found that school clubs are valuable “in ways that are not quantifiable”, including boosting confidence, extending social networks and offering space for relaxation and fun. 

Participation in extracurricular activities such as clubs and school trips provide essential opportunities to enrich the learning students do in the classroom. Some extracurricular activities might directly build on learning from specific subjects or classes, but most support learning in a less direct way – such as supporting inclusion and making students feel more connected to their school.

A whole view of each student means being able to view their data all in one place, including data on: 

• Academic achievement: exam and assessment results, homework performance and progress in class 

• Extracurricular activities: participation in clubs, events and trips 

• Behaviour: behaviour points (positive or negative) and ongoing or past behavioural issues 

• Wellbeing: any notes or concerns logged by the staff, parents or the student themselves