Beyond Fitting In: How Globeducate Schools Are Building a Culture of True Belonging

Globeducate´s Head of Wellbeing Rhiannon Phillips-Bianco has been working with colleagues on the link between Belonging and Learning. She leads Wellbeing Webinars on this topic this term.

At Globeducate, our commitment to fostering student well-being is foundational, and this term, Belonging is our core theme. We recognise that creating a safe and supportive identity is not just a nice-to-have; it is fundamental to educational success. Professor Catherine Riley notes that when young people feel safe, rooted, and that they belong, they become open to learning and succeed at every level. Our proactive focus on belonging ensures that wellbeing is not at the expense of academic achievement, but actively supports it. 

The Critical Link Between Belonging and Learning 

A strong sense of belonging is a powerful predictor of positive outcomes. Research links belonging directly to improved behaviour, as it helps reduce feelings of isolation that often lead to disengagement or disruptive actions. When students feel like insiders, they participate more actively and are willing to take academic risks, such as asking questions, which boosts performance.  

Lycée Français Guy de Maupassant, Morocco - Children celebrating their names - a core part of our identities 

However, true belonging goes deeper than simply "fitting in." As researcher Brené Brown highlights, fitting in means changing who you are to be accepted by a group; true belonging, conversely, demands that we be who we are. Our 11-14 year olds watched this video to spark an important conversation about this concept, and this pursuit of authenticity is central to the conversations we are having, in an age-appropriate way, with all of our students. 

Practical Steps to Cultivating Belonging 

We are implementing this focus through a flexible, adaptive framework broken down into 10 weekly sub-themes. These "Strategy of the Week" resources provide short, sharp activities designed to introduce concepts, keep the well-being conversation alive, and allow educators to adapt materials to their specific school context. To support this, we will host a staff webinar to share research and evidence-based strategies, and a parent webinar to provide practical approaches for the home. The parent webinar will be made available afterwards on YouTube, enabling subtitles to be selected in a preferred language for greater accessibility. 

• Creating Welcoming Micro-Moments: Every interaction counts. We are encouraging educators to use small, powerful gestures to build relationships. This includes standing in the doorway to greet students, using their preferred name, and helping young people understand what makes them feel like they belong. With older students, we are also focusing on the importance of inclusive language, for example challenging young people when they use mental illnesses as casual adjectives, helping them understand the significance of their words. 
   
• Visual Representation: We are asking students, "Is there something in the room that helps you feel like you belong?" and encouraging them to creatively ensure their identity is represented in their learning spaces. 
   
• Building Cross-Community Connections: We are strengthening the sense of community both inside and outside the classroom through activities such as Buddy Reading, Outdoor Scavenger Hunts or student-led team games, all with students in different year-groups.  
   
• A "Power for Good": During Anti-Bullying Week, we are emphasising moving from being bystanders to being allies, empowering students to use their influence online and face-to-face to cultivate a strong sense of meaning and purpose. Our Kindness Counts initiative will build on this, focusing on bringing the community together through empathy, acts of kindness and compassion.  
   
• Group-Wide Initiatives: To involve the entire Globeducate community, we are launching initiatives like the Well-being Logo Competition, which aims to raise awareness of well-being across all 69 schools. Additionally, by incorporating physical health activities like inclusive team challenges created by older students, we unite them in a shared mission that builds belonging through movement and collaboration. 

Ultimately, our goal is summarised best by the wisdom of a 12-year-old, quoted by Brenè Brown:

“If I get to be myself, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in”. We continue to work hard to ensure every student feels they belong - in their classroom, their school, and the wider Globeducate community. 
 

ICS Rome, Italy - A Secondary assembly asking students to consider how they would like to see themselves represented in school

Read more about our wellbeing initiatives here