2-part webinar series
Belonging in Schools Webinar Series
Belonging shapes whether staff stay, whether pupils engage, and whether your school community is one where everyone genuinely feels they fit. By 2029, every school will be expected to monitor pupils’ sense of belonging and engagement, but today only 60% do.
Join the upcoming sessions to understand what belonging looks like in practice, for staff and pupils alike, and how to measure it across your trust.
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Share Tuesday 9th June & Monday 6th July, 4pm – 5pm
Belonging is rising rapidly up the agenda for schools and trusts, yet many leaders are still unclear how to define it, embed it, or measure whether it’s improving.
This two-part webinar series brings together leading voices from Edurio, The Belonging Effect, and Dixons Academies Trust to help you move from understanding belonging to taking meaningful, measurable action across your organisation.
Register once to attend both sessions →Why belonging matters now
Belonging sits at the heart of some of the biggest challenges facing schools and trusts today.
- Staff retention: People are more likely to stay where they feel valued, heard and supported
- Pupil outcomes: A strong sense of belonging is linked to better engagement, behaviour and attainment
- Inclusion and equity: Belonging reflects whether individuals feel accepted – not just included
- Culture and leadership: Staff experience shapes pupil experience across the whole school community
Yet, while its importance is widely recognised, many trusts are still unsure how to define belonging clearly or act on it consistently.
On the agenda
Part 1 – Belonging in Schools: From Staff Culture to Pupil Experience
📅 Tuesday 9 June | 🕓 4pm – 5pm
Speakers:
Iona Kelliher (Edurio)
Hannah Wilson (The Belonging Effect)
Zahara Chowdhury (The Belonging Effect)
What we’ll cover:
Belonging is high on the agenda, but many schools and trusts are still grappling with what it really means in practice.
In this session, Iona Kelliher is joined by Hannah Wilson and Zahara Chowdhury to explore belonging from both a staff and pupil perspective, drawing on insights from their respective work and publications.
Together, they will unpack what strong belonging looks like across a school community and share practical ways leaders can begin to cultivate it more meaningfully.
Save your seat →Part 2 – How to Measure Belonging in Your Trust
📅 Monday 6 July | 🕓 16:00–17:00
Speakers:
Iona Kelliher (Edurio)
Hannah Wilson (The Belonging Effect)
Natasha Raheem (Dixons Academies Trust)
Funmilola Rothery (Dixons Academies Trust)
What we’ll cover:
Measuring belonging is no longer optional, but many trusts don’t know where to start.
In this session, Iona Kelliher and Hannah Wilson are joined by Natasha Raheem and Funmilola Rothery from Dixons Academies Trust to explore how survey data can be used to understand belonging and drive targeted, trust-wide action.
Learn how leading organisations are turning insight into strategy and embedding belonging into everyday practice.
Save your seat →Why attend this series
The two webinars will help you:
- Build a clear, shared understanding of what belonging looks like in practice
- Explore how staff culture and pupil experience are deeply connected
- Learn practical ways to strengthen belonging across your trust
- Understand how to measure belonging and act on the insights
- Hear real examples from trusts already putting this into practice
These sessions are ideal for: CEOs and Executive Leaders of multi-academy trusts, Directors of Education, School Improvement Leads, DEIB/Inclusion Leads, HR/People Leaders, Headteachers and Senior Leaders.
The webinars will also feature relevant insights for governors, trustees, and pastoral or safeguarding leads.
Save your place
Join leaders from across the sector to explore how belonging can be understood, strengthened and measured in your trust.
Register once to attend both sessions live, or receive the recordings if you can’t make every session.
Register now for free →Speakers:
Hannah Wilson
Founder and Director of the Belonging Effect
Hannah Wilson is the founder and director of the Belonging Effect, and she works full-time as an independent leadership development consultant, coach and trainer with a specialism in DEI.
Hannah has been coaching and mentoring existing and aspiring leaders in education for more than a decade.
Zahara Chowdhury
Senior Inclusive Education Lead, Belonging, Culture and Inclusion Consultant
Zahara has over a decade of experience in the classroom as an English teacher, head of department and senior leader. She is currently the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Business Partner at Buckinghamshire New University, and she is also the founder of the School Should Be podcast.
Natasha Raheem
Assistant Vice Principal at Dixons Academies Trust
Natasha has been teaching English in inner-city schools for over 18 years. As a senior leader, she has experience leading on coaching and mentoring, literacy, teaching and learning, teacher training and professional development, focusing on areas such as ED&I and leadership. She is currently an Assistant Vice Principal for Dixons Academies Trust.
Funmilola Rothery
Trust Lead for Anti-Racism and ED&I at Dixons Academies Trust
Funmilola is a Trust Assistant Principal at Dixons Academies Trust, where she leads on anti-racism and ED&I. Her work has included national contributions to curriculum and professional development, and she is committed to embedding equitable practices at all levels of school leadership and classroom teaching.
Iona Kelliher
Managing Director of Edurio
Iona leads on turning Edurio’s national datasets into useful and impactful insights for trust and school leaders. Since joining Edurio in 2021, Iona has worked on national reports focused on topics such as equality, diversity and inclusion and staff retention.