Helping those who don't fit: Impacts, causes, and solutions for students who don't feel like they belong at school

Research shows that sizeable minorities of adolescents around the globe – an average of 16% of young people, according to the OECD, with considerable variations across countries – report feeling isolated at school, with many school students identifying as feeling lonely, with loneliness exacerbated by adverse experiences. This chapter discusses the importance of school belonging for students and what it is that seems to hinder strong feelings of belonging for many young people. Society is becoming increasingly fragmented, but school will, for the foreseeable future, continue to be an experience which can shape how young people go on to influence society whether it be positively or negatively.