What does it truly mean to belong in a school community?

At ICS, this question has guided the work of the Belonging Working Party over the past months as we explore how belonging is experienced by students, staff, and families across our community. This work sits firmly within the Community Pillar of our Strategic Direction. It intentionally strengthens connection, dignity, and inclusion - embedding belonging into our structures and daily life so it becomes a lived experience across ICS.

During our recent in-service day, we engaged staff in facilitated conversations designed for honest reflection — naming what strengthens belonging and what may need to shift in everyday practice. Those insights are shaping our next steps.

Belonging is not a programme or a single initiative. It is the everyday experience of feeling welcomed, respected, valued, and able to contribute. It shapes whether individuals feel confident to participate, to share ideas, and to engage fully in school life. Research consistently shows that a strong sense of belonging increases wellbeing and resilience.

This year, our work has centred on listening and gathering meaningful data. Through staff and parent surveys, with a student survey forthcoming, alongside structured professional reflection and a close examination of how our systems and communication shape experience, we have asked: Where are we strong? Where can we grow?

The feedback has been both affirming and instructive. Many speak positively about the warmth, diversity, and respectful relationships at ICS. At the same time, insights around communication and transparency are helping us identify where greater intentionality is needed.

One theme has emerged clearly: belonging is both relational and structural.

You see belonging in everyday interactions that build trust.
You feel it in how decisions are made and communicated.
You notice it when feedback leads to action.
You recognise it where voice truly matters.

This work is not about identifying faults - it is about alignment - ensuring that how we operate each day reflects who we aspire to be.

In the months ahead, we continue analysing findings and identifying practical next steps. Our aim is to ensure that belonging at ICS is intentional - embedded in culture, policy, and practice. Sustained improvement requires reflection, transparency, and partnership.

Thank you to all staff and families who have engaged so thoughtfully. Following the recent belonging survey shared in the Bulletin, we are grateful for the time and care so many of you have given. We look forward to continuing this journey together through open dialogue, shared insights, and upcoming focus groups that will help shape our next steps. This is not a one-off initiative, but an ongoing commitment as we continue developing our strategic plan for belonging at ICS.

Author and thought leader, bell hooks, chose to write her name in lowercase deliberately. She did this to shift focus away from the individual and toward the power of ideas. She believed that education should nurture dignity, critical thinking, and connection.

In Teaching to Transgress, she describes education as a “practice of freedom,” a space where learning opens possibilities. As she writes, “The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is — it’s to imagine what is possible.” At its core, her message is simple: education must do more than transmit knowledge; it must cultivate hope, imagination and courage to create something better.

Building belonging at ICS asks the same of us. It invites us not only to reflect honestly on where we are, but to imagine - and intentionally create - a community in which every student, every member of staff, and every family experiences connection, dignity, and purpose.

Now that is ‘Our Kind of Education’.

In partnership,

Yasmine Hashmi
Chair, Belonging Working Party
Middle School Mathematics Teacher