There has been increasing reflection on what belonging really looks like in education, not just as a concept, but as something intentionally designed into the everyday experience of schools.

In this episode of The Kitchen Table, Aidan Severs, an education consultant and former deputy head with over 20 years in teaching and leadership, shares what it truly takes to build a curriculum for belonging and inclusion that goes beyond good intentions. Drawing on his experience from the classroom through to whole-school leadership in Bradford, and now his work supporting schools across the UK, Aidan offers a practical, deeply grounded perspective on how real change actually happens.

What You’ll Discover

- Belonging Beyond Buzzwords: Why inclusion isn’t about policies or posters, but about how people actually experience a school every single day.

- Designing Culture Through Curriculum: How intentional curriculum thinking can shape identity, empathy, and connection across a whole school.

- Sustainable Change That Sticks: How leaders can support staff development and build improvements that genuinely last.

One of the key takeaways from this conversation is how deliberate this work needs to be. Aidan’s experience across teaching, leadership, and consultancy is evident in his perspective on change - not quick fixes, but thoughtful, sustained work that supports both staff and pupils. That’s what makes this conversation so powerful.

For school leaders, teachers, or anyone shaping learning environments, this is a conversation that is likely to stay with listeners. If it resonates, consider sharing it with someone working to build a more inclusive and thoughtful school culture.

Connect with Aidan Severs

Website | LinkedIn

Connect with Phil Banks

thebelongingcollective.blog

Connect with Mohamed Abdallah

Drawbridge Collective | Mohamed Abdallah | Substack

Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Danielle Lewis-Egonu | Substack

The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Academies Trust, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.

When we talk about belonging in education, are we truly living it or just writing it into policy documents? In this episode of The Kitchen Table, we sit down with Dr Ilene Winokur to explore what belonging actually looks like in practice, from classrooms in Kuwait to refugee communities in Kenya.

Ilene has lived in Kuwait since 1984 and has spent more than 35 years working at the intersection of education, storytelling and belonging. A professional learning consultant, author and global mentor, she supports teachers around the world, including refugee educators, and has published two books centred on belonging. Her work is rooted in one core belief: connection changes communities.

In our conversation, she shares her personal journey of moving to Kuwait at 29, learning Arabic to connect with her mother-in-law, and later navigating the loss of her citizenship while still holding onto her sense of home.

What We Explore

- Personal vs Professional Belonging: Why the relationships we build at home and at work shape us differently, and why both are essential in schools.

- Creating Space That Feels Safe: From greeting students at the door to co-constructing classroom norms, the practical ways teachers can nurture trust and voice.

- Belonging Beyond the Mission Statement: How leaders can align culture, policy and everyday behaviour so inclusion is lived rather than laminated.

Ilene reflects on walking school corridors as a principal and noticing how her own emotional state influenced the building. It is a powerful reminder that belonging is embodied. It is relational. It is felt.

If you are building community in a classroom, a school or beyond, this conversation will both challenge and steady you.

Connect with Phil Banks

thebelongingcollective.blog

Connect with Mohamed Abdallah

Drawbridge Collective | Mohamed Abdallah | Substack

Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Danielle Lewis-Egonu | Substack

The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Academies Trust, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Mo and I have been circling this debate for a long time. I talk about belonging. He talks about mattering. And if we’re honest, we’ve both walked away from conversations thinking, I like him, but he’s wrong. So today at The Kitchen Table, it’s just the two of us finally putting it on record.

This is not just a word game. It’s about what we actually want students and teachers to experience in our schools. Is it enough to feel included? Or do we need to feel significant, relied upon, even missed?

What We Explore

- Belonging and Mattering Defined: Where they overlap, where they differ, and why being noticed and missed might be the real shift.

- The Achievement Debate: What the research says about attainment, dropout rates and whether belonging truly changes outcomes.

- Culture in the Everyday: How small relational moments, not big declarations, shape identity and long-term wellbeing.

This conversation reminded us that schools shape identity as much as they shape grades. When someone feels invisible or replaceable, the consequences are serious. When they feel valued and significant, something shifts.

If you’re leading a classroom, a team or a whole school, this episode is an invitation to look closely at the moments that quietly define your culture. Because the cost of getting this wrong is too high, and the impact of getting it right can echo far beyond the classroom.

Connect with Phil Banks

thebelongingcollective.blog

Connect with Mohamed Abdallah

Drawbridge Collective | Mohamed Abdallah | Substack

Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Danielle Lewis-Egonu | Substack

The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Academies Trust, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.