Starting School in Australia: What Gives Young Children a Sense of School Belonging?

Abstract A sense of belonging is foundational to children’s early school experiences, yet few empirical studies have investigated what facilitates school belonging during the first year of formal education. Using a qualitative ‘draw, write, and tell’ design, 108 children (ages 5–7; 59% male, 41% female) from three independent schools in Melbourne, Australia, participated in an activity responding to the prompt “I feel like I belong to school when…”. Visual narrative analysis was used to examine the drawings and accompanying verbal descriptions through two-step analysis: central narrative identification and sub-theme exploration. Inter-rater reliability achieved 90% agreement. Two central narratives emerged: familiarity (73% of children) encompassing known places, routines, and people; and social engagement (43%) involving formal and informal interactions with others. Three key sub-themes were identified: unstructured play (61%), with 53% depicting social play and 47% solitary play; relationships (54%) including peer friendships and supportive connections with teachers and family members; and environment (40%) highlighting specific school spaces, particularly playgrounds and classrooms. These results suggest children’s sense of school belonging is embedded in predictable routines, meaningful relationships, autonomous play opportunities, and connection to physical spaces and it can emerge through social co-construction and individual agency. Findings have implications for schools in implementing familiar environments, unstructured play time, and relationship-building opportunities to support young children’s successful school transition in their first year of school.