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Let’s hear it for … School Belonging

A Podcast Series in five parts — a story of possibilities, told by young people, school leaders, experts from around the world and through the eyes of Rapper, Jamie Pyke.

Students from Cremer Primary Hackney prepare for their interview with Manuela

Listen to the full podcast series on Spotify ↗

School belonging is just the starting point. It…

Propels young people through life, encouraging them to listen & learn from others.

Enables them to grow in confidence & knowledge.

Inspires them to live on this planet with dignity and puts them on a pathway to citizenship - personal, social and global.

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PODCAST 1

Shut up and leave me alone

At the deepest level, belonging is what defines us as human.

How young people experience their school days will stay with them throughout their life. For some, ‘belonging’ begins as a struggle to be accepted in school. Young people may feel outsiders. ‘Shut up and leave me alone’ were the only words that 10-year-old refugee ‘Aisha’ could find to say in English, after three weeks in her school.

Others find themselves ostracized: informally by their peers, or formally through punishments which exclude them for periods of time. Being ostracised is a special pain that is lived and re-lived.

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PODCAST 2

You are all in Detention

School exclusion and marginalisation have an impact on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society.

When young people are stigmatised and excluded, their families come to see themselves as failures. When they can’t find a sense of belonging in the formal structures, they look for it elsewhere, becoming vulnerable to grooming or being up in gangs.

In this uncertain world, we all need to have a sense of self-esteem, and a place where we belong.

Acceptance: This is how we look. This is how we talk.

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PODCAST 3

Acceptance: This is how we look. This is how we talk.

Belonging is that sense of being somewhere you can be confident you will fit in and feel safe in your identity: a feeling of being at home in a place.

In schools where belonging works, the student-teacher relationship is powerful. Young people feel trusted. They believe that their voice is heard and that what they say matters. They are happier, more confident and perform better academically. Their teachers feel more valued, and their families connected.

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PODCAST 4

Zero tolerance or a sense of us?

School leaders set the tone for what is valued. Their expectations shape the climate - for exclusion or belonging.

Those leaders who choose to take a compassionate approach, work to help create a sense of oneness and belonging, so that when young people step over the school gates, the threshold, they become part of a community. Whatever else is going on in their lives, they know that they are stronger in their school by being together.

Compassion is the super-glue that brings schools, families and communities together.

‘Belonging, Becoming and Believing’ in our Global World

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PODCAST 5

‘Belonging, Becoming and Believing’ in our Global World

A sense of school belonging is just the starting point for young people.

When young people feel confident and that they belong, they learn to respect each other and accept differences. They listen to others, and learn how to make their own decisions, for the right reasons.

A sense of belonging enables young people to grow up to be the best adults they can be. As compassionate adults, they come to see themselves as citizens who respect each other and the planet and can make their distinctive contributions to society.

PODCAST CONTRIBUTORS

Meet the contributors

Select a name to read the biography preserved from the original podcast page.

Professor Anita Berlin

Anita Berlin is an inner-city GP and Professor of Primary Care Education and Head of Community Based Medical Education at Barts and The London Medical School, QMUL. Her academic focus is medical education, and quality and governance of educational and clinical institutions. She is dedicated to developing educational opportunities in primary care, and leadership for learning. She previously led for the Social Determinants of Health theme and Public Engagement at UCL Medical School.

Anita has worked with third sector organisations supporting unpaid carers, and asylum seekers, survivors of torture, trafficking and modern-day slavery. She has been involved in international educational development projects principally in Spain, Latin America and currently in the Middle East.

Dr Kelly-Ann Allen

Dr Allen is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Monash University, and an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne where she is internationally recognised for her research on sense of belonging. With 20 years’ experience working in educational contexts, Dr Allen is committed to translating her research, knowledge, and expertise from academic to educational contexts. This commitment prompted her to establish and lead the Global Belonging Collaborative, a large transdisciplinary team dedicated to developing the field of belonging through the dissemination of research, engagement in translational projects, and the pooling of international expertise.

The quality of Kelly-Ann’s research has been acknowledged through the Dean’s Award for Research for research enterprise (2021), the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence by an Early Career Researcher (2019) and the Advancing Women's Success Award (2020). Dr Allen has also been recognised as one of Australia's top 40 early career researchers and amongst the top 250 researchers in Australia.

Shaun Brown

Shaun is a specialist in whole-school inclusion, trauma-aware practice, multi-agency working and contextual safeguarding. After working as a Head of Geography for several years, Shaun became more interested in the pupils who were falling through the gaps. This inspired him to spend a decade teaching and leading in pupil referral units, before returning to Thomas Tallis – a large mainstream secondary school - where he applied this expertise in his role as Deputy Head for Inclusion, reducing exclusion and improving attendance. Shaun’s innovative safeguarding work has achieved national recognition from Ofsted.

Shaun is now The Difference Programmes Director, responsible for designing and delivering leadership programmes which are improving outcomes for children in mainstream and alternative provision schools across the country.

Imani Clough

Imani is a Coach, Facilitator and Consultant with a decade of experience in education and the social impact sector. She spends much of her time innovating in both classrooms and communities through her training and development consultancy Imani Academy. She is passionate about bringing educators, practitioners, children and young people together; to explore, discuss and take action on social justice issues. Imani uses peer-peer learning, liberatory pedagogy and character education practices to support people tackling social justice issues in education and the community, to work in line with their values and challenge the status quo.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/imaniacademyltd
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/imaniclough/
Website - https://www.imaniacademy.co.uk/fittinginbelongingpilot

Jo Dib

Jo Dibb served as a London headteacher and executive head for over 20 years. In her first headship, the school was one of the top four in England for adding value to students’ learning. Her most recent school served some of the most disadvantaged young people in the country and yet they went on to achieve outstanding outcomes. It was this which attracted Michelle Obama, who visited the school on her first trip to the UK as First Lady, and still maintains the relationship to this day. She notes in her autobiography, ‘Belonging’ the powerful impression made upon her by the aspirational students.
Jo is recognised as an exceptional leader by Ofsted, features in the Francis Beckett book, ‘How to create a Successful School’, where she is described as ‘the head as social reformer’. In 2011 she became a National Leader of Education.

Dr Mohammed Elmeski

Mohamed Elmeski is a Comparative International Development Education Advisor. He was the Co-Chair of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement Morocco in January 2020 which brought together a wide range of participants from both the global north and south. Dr. Elmeski graduated from the University of Minnesota with a PhD in comparative international development Education and program evaluation.
Mohammed’s experience spans 25 years in teaching, research, evaluation and technical assistance in education policy, practice, and systems’ change: his current focus.

Anton Florek

Anton’s professional experience spans periods as a teacher, lecturer, and local government Chief Officer leading to the establishment of The Staff College in 2000 and, subsequently, a 19-year commitment as its CEO. He remains connected to the College as its Lead associate for Future Schooling and a significant contributor to the College’s school improvement and children’s services leadership development work.
In addition to numerous publications, Anton has served on many national groups over the past 40 years, including the national reference group for Championing Children (which created the seminal document for the ‘Every Child Matter’s initiative), and as part of the Children’s Workforce Network, he was instrumental in writing “Leading and Managing Children’s Services in England: A National Professional Development Framework.” He is a life member of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) and a passionate advocate of equity and inclusive schooling.

Associate Professor Janet Foster

Janet is a Criminologist and Associate Professor at the London School of Economics. Her research has focused on communities, crime, and policing and she has dedicated her career to often forgotten, or little understood worlds: young people and adults involved in crime; deprived housing estates with very high rates of crime; urban change and community fragmentation and (racism against the backdrop of the redevelopment of London’s Docklands). She evaluated the impact of the Lawrence Inquiry on policing. Janet’s most recent project involved spending three years observing murder detectives and interviewing murder victims’ families.
Janet directed a Master’s programme at the University of Cambridge for senior police officers from the highest ranks of the police service. She also worked as Head of Research at the Police Foundation, helping police forces improve and develop their practice, using a variety of action research and advisory work. Janet has also worked in the European Union on community policing initiatives and acted as a consultant for various government departments including the Home Office and H.M. Treasury. Janet is currently finishing a book on this research, ‘The Real Sherlocks’: Murder Detectives at Work.

Catherine Gladwell

Catherine Gladwell is the founder and Chief Executive of Refugee Education UK - a charity helping refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people get into and thrive in education - from primary school to university. She is also a founding director and board member at Jigsaw Consult, a social enterprise building evidence on education, forced migration and technology through research. Catherine has led large-scale multi-national practical interventions and research programmes and worked in sixteen different countries. Before working for Refugee Education UK and Jigsaw Consult, Catherine worked in education in emergencies at Save the Children UK, and as a teacher.
Kathryn has a degree from Oxford University, a Master's in Education from University College London, and is an honorary fellow at Winchester University.

Dame Mary Marsh

Dame Mary is a cross sector leader who is currently a Trustee of Teach First, a non-executive director of HSBC Bank plc, Director on the board of the LSO (London Symphony Orchestra), a member of the Governing Body at London Business School and a Trustee of the British Spanish Society. She was Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health from November 2016 to 1 November 2021. Following the earlier stages of her life journey as a teacher, including as a headteacher of two comprehensive schools in the 1990s, she was Chief Executive of the children’s charity NSPCC and Founding Director of the Clore Social Leadership Programme.
Mary is also an adviser to Trustees Unlimited and the Financial Inclusion Commission, a member of the Asia Advisory Group for the University of Nottingham and a contributor to the development of leadership, governance and life journeys in the charity, public and business sectors.

David McPartlin

Dave McPartlin, Headteacher of Flakefleet Primary School (Happiest School in the Country 2018, Britain’s Got Talent Golden Buzzer Finalist and School of the Year Runner-Up 2019).
Passionate about tackling disadvantage and developing a sense of belonging in their own, unique Flakefleet way, Dave and the school have enjoyed significant successes by playing to their strengths and approaching challenges from a position of kindness, tolerance and compassion.

Jo Riley

I have been a teacher for 24 years and Head teacher at Randal Cremer for 9 years. I began my teaching career on Hackney, London before moving to Tower Hamlets as the Inclusion Leader. I believe passionately that all children have the right to an education that puts them at the centre. This extends to developing teachers to be the best they can be, through quality professional development, coaching and mentoring.
I am constantly looking at ways to improve both my own teaching and leadership so that the incredible children and their families that I serve can thrive.

Professor María Teresa Rojas

Associate Professor of the Department of Educational Policies at the Alberto Hurtado University (Santiago, Chile). PhD in Education from Católica de Chile University and Paris 5. I have been working in educational research for 15 years on issues of social inclusion in schools, especially regarding social class, migration, and sexual diversity. My currently focus is in teaching and education for citizens around climate change.

Professor María Teresa Rojas

Kipling D. Williams is Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University, where he has taught since 2004. Prior to coming to Purdue, Williams was on faculties at Macquarie University and University of New South Wales, University of Toledo (Ohio), and Drake University (Iowa). He is a world-leading expert on social and psychological dynamics of ostracism. In addition to his authored book, “Ostracism: The Power of Silence” (Guilford Press, 2001), he has edited nine books, including ‘’The Social Outcast, and the Handbook of Ostracism, Exclusion, and Rejection’’. Since 2003, he has taught an annual one-week research Master’s course on Ostracism at the Free University-Amsterdam and conducted ostracism workshops in Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Australia. In 2012, he was a Lorentz Fellow of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies. He was a co-winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Socio-Psychological (AAAS); Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences Research Achievement Award (2011); and Faculty Engagement Award (2014). He is past president of the Society for Australasian Social Psychologists and the Midwestern Psychological Association.