How much could better belonging
save your school?
Enter your school's details below to see the estimated annual savings from improving staff and student belonging.
Your school
total staff at your school
on roll
How many staff feel they don't belong?
Some staff
Very fewFewSomeManyMost
How likely are those staff to leave?
Fairly likely
UnlikelyPossibleFairly likelyLikelyVery likely
Staff costs
£ direct cost per person who leaves
£ over ~6 months to full effectiveness
£ per affected staff member / yr
£ per affected staff member / yr
£ per affected staff member / yr
Source - Oxford Economics & CIPD (2022): The average cost of replacing a UK employee is estimated at ~£30,000, comprising £3,500-£5,000 in direct recruitment & onboarding costs, plus ~£22,000 in lost productivity over the 6 months it typically takes a new employee to reach full effectiveness. Retention, wellbeing and mental health costs are additional.
Pupil costs
£ hidden staff-time cost per case / yr
£ incl. leadership, disruption & staff impact / yr
Every complex attendance case represents 30-60 hours of staff time per year. A single pupil with complex mental health needs can require over 100 hours of staff time annually - costing up to £12,000 when factoring in leadership time, wider disruption and staff impact.
Why belonging matters in your school
Lower belonging among disadvantaged pupils is a risk factor for both academic outcomes and emotional resilience.
OECD - Building emotional resilience in times of change: insights from PISA (2024)
When schools intentionally build belonging, this links to higher pupil motivation, improved academic outcomes, reduced absenteeism, and better staff wellbeing.
UCL Institute of Education - review on belonging and behaviour (2020)
Higher school belonging predicts fewer mental health difficulties and higher life satisfaction later on.
British Psychological Society - Does School Belonging Matter? (2022)
Schools with high retention rates often have teachers who feel a strong sense of belonging. A school culture that attends to pupils' belonging can also promote staff retention.
Hanson & Kraft - Teacher working conditions and retention in the post-COVID era (2024)
Annual savings to your school
Estimated annual saving
£9k - £46k
Your saving will be somewhere in this range each year, depending on the improvement achieved.
Total staff
60
at your school
At-risk staff
15
don't feel they belong
Total pupils
500
on roll
Hidden pupil cost
£60k
est. per year
Staff cost benchmarks: Oxford Economics & CIPD 2022 - For indicative use only - © Satchel Pulse.
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