Policy context

Research suggests that a sense of belonging at school and the degree to which students report liking school has an important influence on student motivation, engagement, participation and academic outcomes.¹ʼ²

Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive national data collection to inform the indicators within this theme. Instead, most states and territories conduct their own surveys among school students, addressing aspects such as their sense of belonging in school and their engagement with teachers. However, these survey findings are typically only made available in the form of a summarised report specific to each state or territory. In some states, no public reporting takes place.