The Belonging Collective
A blog focused on the research around belonging, connection and relationships in education and their impact on pupil performance and motivation.
You Belong here.
“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it ’til now.” C.S Lewis
“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” Maya Angelou
Latest Blogposts
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Collateral Damage
We have grown accustomed to the language of sacrifice. It rolls off press conferences and planning documents with alarming ease. Necessary losses. Acceptable risk. Unintended consequences. We package harm in sterile phrases and move on, convinced that the end—whatever shimmering achievement we have in mind—will justify the means. But surely one casualty is one too…
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Carrying One Another Across
The story of St Christopher. There’s something quietly compelling about the story of Saint Christopher. Not simply the dramatic image—of a broad-shouldered man wading through a swollen river with a child on his back—but the deeper invitation embedded within it: that faith is lived most fully when we carry one another through what feels impassable.…
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The Kitchen Table
Episode 1 Very excited to launch our new Podcast, “The Kitchen Table” Pull up a chair – this is where research meets relationships, and we’re diving deep into what it means to belong, matter, and fight for social justice in education. In this first episode of The Kitchen Table, Mohamed, Danielle, and I share our stories: from…
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What if you did something for no purpose?
What if you did something today not to achieve, improve, or produce — but simply because being present felt enough? This is at the heart of a Zen‑inspired practice that invites us to engage in actions without agenda or outcome, and the research suggests it could be more nourishing for our minds than we realise.…
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Why “The Village” Matters More Than Ever.
Education as a Collective Endeavour. “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”This African proverb is a navigation star for the work we do — reminding us that learning, belonging and flourishing happen in relationship, not isolation. And when we say “it takes a village to raise…
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Throughout Life, We Belong Somewhere.
A Guest Blog from Bob Fox Bob is a friend and an elder in my village. Bob worked in education for many years, finishing his career as a secondary headteacher. He is active in village life, running clubs for drama, woodwork and art, as well as being an active supporter of the local school. Bob…
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Silent Exits.
Exclusion, Elective Home Education, Drift and Moral Duty. Every number tells a story, but some numbers should stop us in our tracks. Across the UK, tens of thousands of children are now excluded from school each year. Alongside this, we are seeing a sharp and sustained rise in the number of families choosing elective home…
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The Day George Surprised Me: How Connection Can Transform Learning.
A guest Blog by Dr. Lorena Franco Very excited to bring you a new guest Blog from educator Dr Lorena Franco, Arkansas. Lorena focuses on how individual empathy and connection can transform the learning experience of an individual, in this case, George. The bell rang, yet George stayed in his seat, pencil in hand, determined…
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The Time We Give to People Is the Time We Give to Human Flourishing
In a world that races on schedules, deadlines and the constant pull of screens, it’s easy to squeeze people into the margins of our weeks rather than the heart of them. Yet, research from psychology and human development tells us something profound: the quality of our relationships isn’t a luxury — it’s essential to who…
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Birthdays, Anniversaries….Significance and Love.
There’s something deeply human about remembering. Not just facts or tasks, but the dates that mark someone’s life. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the day someone got a new job, graduated, or became a parent, the day someone lost a loved one. Remembering these dates is more than calendar-management — it is an outward sign, a gentle…
The Belonging Collective 