An exploration of how children and young people construct and experience school belonging within specialist classes in Wales

Wooster, Emily 2026. An exploration of how children and young people construct and experience school belonging within specialist classes in Wales. DEdPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The concept of School Belonging has received increasing attention within research and Welsh educational policy. School belonging has been identified as an important factor contributing to Children and Young People’s (CYP) school experiences and as an indicator of inclusion. However, little is known about how this concept is experienced by CYP attending specialist classes, which are becoming an increasingly available provision within Wales. This empirical study explored how CYP attending specialist classes in Wales construct and experience school belonging. To explore this question, this research involved semi-structured interviews using the Drawing the Ideal School Task (Williams & Hanke, 2007) with six participants from two Complex Learning Needs specialist classes. Participants’ accounts were analysed across contexts using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, generating four themes; School belonging as conditional on safe spaces and safe places; School belonging as influenced by meaningful relationships with adults; School belonging as mediated by equitable opportunities, participation and access; and School belonging as shaped by friendships and group identity. These findings emphasise the contextual, conditional, relational and negotiated nature of school belonging amongst CYP attending specialist classes. This contributed to a proposed framework for understanding school belonging within this context. These findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and psychological theory, with consideration given to contextual factors and the broader inclusion agenda. Implications for the role of educational professionals are outlined and recommendations for future research are made. Key words: School Belonging, Specialist Classes, Specialist Provisions, Additional Learning Provision, Inclusion, Additional Learning Needs, Educational Psychology.

Item Type:	Thesis (DEdPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	29 July 2026
Last Modified:	29 Jul 2026 13:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188608

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