GEC Inclusion Index - Student - Key Behavioural Area 1
Belonging
“I feel like I belong here.”
53.2% agree
⬆ Improving Trend
So what?
Belonging isn’t a bonus — it’s the emotional foundation of learning, engagement, and mental health. Yet from our 26,000 Voices dataset, including over 13,000 students across the UK, just 53.2% agreed that they feel they belong at school.
That means nearly half of students feel like outsiders in the very place designed to help them grow. Belonging is not simply about being present — it’s about being seen, valued, and accepted without needing to shrink who you are to fit in.
📊 Key Findings from 26,000 Voices
Only 12% of students feel fully included in school life
33% of SEND learners strongly disagree that their voice is heard
34% strongly disagree that their learning needs are met
Higher belonging correlates with improved wellbeing, engagement, and trust
📣 What We Heard
“I don’t feel like I belong because no one understands how my brain works. I get in trouble for things I can’t control.”
“No one in school looks like me or believes in what I do. I just stay quiet.”
“I just pretend to be someone else to fit in. But it’s exhausting.”
The GEC Platform: Proven Solution
The GEC Platform captures intersectional student voice with care and confidentiality. Built with input from student councils, safeguarding specialists and researchers, it enables schools to understand who feels disconnected — and why.
But to create true belonging, we must get the ecosystem right with leaders and staff first. Belonging doesn’t start in the classroom — it starts with inclusive leadership, trained staff, and a culture where all identities are valued.
The GEC Platform supports this whole-school approach, enabling leaders to act on gaps before they become harm - and if you want to see what schools are saying, have a look at our reviews.
The Kaleidoscope View
Our Kaleidoscopic Data shows belonging is not experienced equally.
SEND learners, especially those with invisible disabilities such as ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety, are consistently overrepresented in the lowest quartile of belonging scores.
Students who choose not to disclose their additional needs reported the lowest levels of teacher trust, with only 21.2% saying they felt listened to.
Global Majority students, particularly Black Caribbean and Muslim learners, describe feeling culturally out of place in predominantly white school environments.
LGBTQIA+ students, especially trans and non-binary youth, shared that their identities are often erased or left unsupported, leading to feelings of marginalisation and daily emotional labour.
These intersectional experiences often compound, creating deep-seated exclusion for those who sit at multiple identity margins.
Next Steps & Free Stuff
🎓 Try our free GEC Score Card – aligned to Ofsted and co-designed with student councils – to see how your school scores on belonging
📖 Read our Founder Dr Nicole Ponsford’s latest piece in Schools Week:
🔗 “Uncovering the Unknown Unknowns of Inclusion”
📚 See the impact in action:
🔗 Pioneer Secondary Case Study
