More than 120,000 learner surveys have been completed on the Great Teaching Toolkit platform. Individual teachers have held a mirror up to their classrooms and learned more about their teaching and learning environment by giving their students a voice. Looking at the averages for Dimension 2 surveys, they tell us that only around four in ten students feel their teacher knows when something is upsetting them. These findings should give every leader pause for thought. 

These results aren’t about discipline, routines, or curriculum planning. They speak to something more fundamental: belonging. And belonging, as the research reminds us, isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a human need.

Why belonging matters

A sense of belonging underpins almost every aspect of wellbeing and learning. It’s not a school-specific construct; it’s part of being human. We all need to feel connected – to people, to places, to something bigger than ourselves.

When students experience that connection, they are more likely to:

• engage in class,
• perform better academically,
• attend more consistently, and
• experience lower levels of anxiety and loneliness.

The data and research converge on a simple truth: belonging helps children, and adults, flourish.
When they don’t find that belonging in healthy, positive environments, they seek it elsewhere. Maybe in some dark corner of the internet, or in peer groups that offer validation but not a deep sense of positive respect and status.

The quiet signals of disconnection

As teachers and leaders, we often get quick feedback on the observables of classroom practice – when routines break down or lessons lose pace, learners’ feedback can be pretty obvious! But belonging isn’t like that. A student can look happy and settled on the surface while quietly feeling worthless, invisible and disconnected.

That’s why feedback for teachers really matters. Without evidence to understand how students feel and perceive the classroom, we’re left to guess. And guessing isn’t good enough when wellbeing and learning are at stake.

The Great Teaching Toolkit’s learner surveys give teachers and leaders a way to see the unseen: to gather structured, evidence-based feedback about how learners experience their classrooms. Students’ responses to statements such as “My teacher understands and supports pupils who are different” or “My teacher knows when something is annoying or upsetting me” reveal aspects of school life that can otherwise remain hidden.

From data to dialogue

Knowing how students feel is only the first step. As with all feedback, what matters next is how we respond.

Research evidence offers a few powerful approaches:

• Adopt a mentor mindset.
  American psychologist David Yeager describes this as a powerful balance of high expectations and high trust. Learners flourish when they feel both challenged and cared for. It’s the mindset captured in Dimension 2 of the Great Teaching Toolkit: creating a climate of high expectations where learners feel it’s okay to have a go.
• Give wise feedback.
  When we explain why we’re giving feedback; “I’m saying this because I believe you can do great things and I know that you can do it. I’ll be here to help you”. We can combine high standards with high support. Small shifts in language can strengthen a student’s sense of connection and motivation.
• Engineer experiences of competence.
  Help students look capable in front of the people whose opinions they value. That simple act builds respect, status, and belonging in the classroom community.

Finding out before fixing

The most important step, though, is finding out. Before we can improve wellbeing or belonging, we have to know how students actually feel. The only way to know is to ask; systematically, sensitively, and in ways that generate actionable insight.

Turn student voice into evidence you can act on. Use the Great Teaching Toolkit’s learner surveys to gather feedback from your students and start building a stronger sense of belonging in every classroom.