Belonging, identity and safety in London schools: Research and Policy Briefing on behalf of London's Violence Reduction Unit

In November 2023, the University of Bath was commissioned by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to undertake a piece of research on inclusion and belonging in schools across all London boroughs.

The primary aim was to capture students’ perspectives on what they need from education to feel the sense of belonging and safety necessary to be included and succeed at school. Equally important were the views of education leaders, practitioners and parents on what schools need to be more inclusive. The research informed key
principles for inclusive education that led to the VRU’s development of London’s Inclusion Charter.

Our findings point to a set of principles, values and impacts underpinning school inclusion. This report starts by sharing the findings from students, before introducing a model of the four principles, the values that enable these to be effectively implemented, and the impacts for students of belonging, safety, identity building and affirmation, central to London’s Inclusion Charter.