Low school belonging linked to lower GCSE attainment

Students who feel they do not belong in school have significantly lower GCSE attainment than those who feel a strong sense of belonging, government research reveals.

Young people who strongly disagreed with the statement “I feel like I belong at school” had Attainment 8 scores 7.72 points lower than those who strongly agreed, after accounting for previous attainment, student characteristics and experiences of bullying.

This is equivalent to dropping almost a full GCSE grade across eight subjects, the Department for Education report states.

Those who disagreed they belonged had Attainment 8 scores around four points lower than students who strongly agreed.

This relationship remained “strong, positive and significant” when bullying was removed from the model, suggesting this did not explain the link on its own, the researchers find.

However, the research does not establish that a strong sense of belonging leads to higher attainment.

Girls feel less belonging in school

There were significant differences in students’ sense of belonging depending on their background, finds the research, based on surveys of students about belonging during the same year they sat their GCSEs.

The report highlights “clear disparities in school belonging”, with lower belonging concentrated among disadvantaged students, girls and children with special educational needs and disabilities, though it states that “the strength and significance depend on the measure used”.

“Generally, White pupils had lower belonging scores, but some differences were statistically insignificant,” it adds.

Some 58 per cent of girls said they felt they belonged at their school, compared with 66 per cent of boys.

Students eligible for free school meals were also less likely to say they belonged, at 58 per cent, compared with 63 per cent of other students.

The figure for students with SEND is 56 per cent, compared with 63 per cent for those without.

Some 60 per cent of white students said they belonged at school, compared with 70 per cent of Asian students and 72 per cent of Black students.

The study linked responses from 15-year-olds who took part in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment with their records in the National Pupil Database, including their 2022-23 GCSE results.

Government focus on belonging

The findings come after the government made pupil belonging a priority in its schools White Paper, published in February.

Every school will be expected to monitor pupils’ sense of belonging and engagement by 2029, with the DfE publishing a new pupil engagement framework to support schools.

The new framework will aim to help schools measure areas such as belonging, safety, relationships with teachers and peers, motivation and how much pupils value school. The aim is to improve engagement, attendance and attainment, the DfE has said.