Beyond IELTS: A Leadership Guide to Preparing Bangladeshi Students for Belonging in UK Universities

For senior leaders in Bangladeshi schools, supporting students to study abroad is often framed around meeting entry requirements: IELTS scores, transcripts, visa paperwork. These are treated as the gold standard of readiness. But let’s ask an uncomfortable question:

👉 Does a band score of 7.0 in IELTS guarantee that a student can:

• Challenge a professor in a seminar without fear?

• Navigate group work with peers from six different nationalities?

• Find halal food, join a student society, or seek counselling without stigma?

Of course not. Language proficiency is a necessary condition for success, but it is far from sufficient. The over-emphasis on IELTS risks reducing preparation to a box-ticking exercise, while neglecting the deeper needs of identity, confidence, resilience, and cultural adaptation.

This is where leadership comes in. Senior leaders need to ask: Are we preparing students for access, or for success? Because getting students through the university gates is not enough — they need to feel that they belong once inside.

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🔎 The Evidence Behind the Five-Stage Belonging Model

The model that follows is grounded in international research into student belonging in higher education, particularly the systematic review by Dias-Broens, Meeuwisse & Severiens (2024). That review analysed over 150 studies and found three key insights:

• Belonging predicts persistence and success: Students who feel accepted, respected, and able to contribute are more likely to stay in university, achieve higher, and maintain wellbeing.

• Belonging is not one-dimensional: For ethnic minority and first-generation students, belonging is shaped not just by “fitting in” but by feeling similar, experiencing diversity as valued, and contributing meaningfully.

• Current preparation is misaligned: Most existing measures of readiness (including IELTS) test access skills but do not account for the lived experiences that shape belonging.

From this evidence, five stages of preparation can be identified, mapping both the academic and social dimensions of belonging:

• Stage 1: Academic Transition → grounded in evidence that lack of alignment with teaching and assessment practices causes disorientation.

• Stage 2: Intercultural Competence → research shows students struggle not with content, but with navigating diverse perspectives and expectations.

• Stage 3: Peer Networks & Early Connections → literature highlights the “critical first six weeks” where isolation predicts dropout.

• Stage 4: Identity & Contribution → qualitative findings reveal minority students feel belonging most when they can bring their culture into the community.

• Stage 5: Practical & Wellbeing Resilience → studies show barriers such as healthcare, finance, and stigma around wellbeing directly undermine belonging.

This five-stage framework does not replace statutory requirements — it complements them by addressing the whole student experience. It reframes international preparation as more than admissions paperwork: it is a leadership responsibility to ensure students carry both the skills and the confidence to thrive.

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How Schools Can Support Students in Each Stage

Stage 1: Academic Transition — Redefining Readiness

Challenge: Bangladeshi students often excel in subject knowledge but feel lost when confronted with UK-style assessment, independent learning, and critical debate.

Leadership strategies:

• Mock UK assessments: Offer essay-writing tasks with proper referencing, seminar-style debates, and oral defences. Feedback should mirror UK lecturer style — evaluating argument, clarity, and evidence, not just correctness.

• Critical thinking across subjects: Dedicate curriculum weeks to questioning, evaluating sources, and constructing arguments. This ensures students are prepared for UK expectations.

• Staff training: Provide professional development so teachers adopt discussion-based approaches (seminars, flipped learning, peer review) that cultivate independence.

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Stage 2: Intercultural Competence — Training for Diversity

Challenge: Students may be academically ready but lack the skills to navigate cultural differences, leading to isolation or withdrawal.

Leadership strategies:

• Alumni experience panels: Invite returning graduates to share candid stories of culture shock, stereotypes, and adaptation.

• Role-play enrichment clubs: Simulate real-life situations: negotiating in multicultural groups, disagreeing politely, or addressing assumptions.

• Pastoral curriculum integration: Embed intercultural competence into PSHE or pastoral programmes so every student practises navigating diversity.

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Stage 3: Peer Networks & Early Connections — Belonging Starts Before Arrival

Challenge: The first 6–8 weeks abroad are critical. Students without networks often experience loneliness and higher dropout risk.

Leadership strategies:

• Mentoring circles: Pair each student with alumni already studying in the UK for guidance and reassurance.

• Digital community hubs: Create moderated WhatsApp or Facebook groups where UK-bound students can connect before departure.

• University society partnerships: Build relationships with Bangladeshi student associations in UK universities, arranging virtual inductions and ongoing support.

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Stage 4: Identity & Contribution — Preparing Students to Give, Not Just Receive

Challenge: Minority students often feel pressure to assimilate. Belonging deepens when they can bring their culture into the community.

Leadership strategies:

• Cultural ambassador programmes: Train students to showcase Bangladeshi traditions at international fairs or cultural events.

• Student-led cultural showcases: Require students to organise cultural events (food festivals, art exhibitions, music performances) at school before departure. This builds confidence to contribute abroad.

• Storytelling workshops: Coach students to share their Bangladeshi identity and experiences in ways that are engaging for international peers.

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Stage 5: Practical & Wellbeing Resilience — Removing Hidden Barriers

Challenge: Many students fail not academically, but because they cannot navigate everyday life or don’t know how to access support.

Leadership strategies:

• Life skills curriculum: Teach budgeting in GBP, navigating UK public transport, opening student bank accounts, and cooking affordable meals.

• Wellbeing preparation: Normalise conversations about mental health, stress, and culture shock. Role-play accessing GP services, counselling, and student support.

• Faith & identity support: Provide practical advice on maintaining religious and cultural practices abroad (finding halal food, prayer spaces, Bangladeshi community links).

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Challenging Current Thinking

The Five-Stage Belonging Preparation Model challenges the idea that IELTS and admissions paperwork alone constitute readiness. Those statutory requirements ensure access — but belonging ensures success.

For school leaders, this means widening preparation across curriculum, pastoral care, alumni networks, and cultural programming. International readiness should not be treated as an extra, but as a core leadership responsibility.

So the critical leadership question is this:

👉 Do we want to prepare students simply to enter UK universities, or do we want to prepare them to flourish there?

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Key Takeaway

IELTS will get students into the lecture hall. Belonging will keep them there.

Preparing students for the UK is not just about compliance. It is about building confidence, identity pride, resilience, and networks — equipping them to connect, contribute, and thrive while carrying their Bangladeshi identity with pride.

🌱 Taking the Next Step

At EBTD, we believe that preparing students for international study is not just about meeting entry requirements. It is about evidence-based leadership, equipping schools to nurture identity, confidence, and belonging so that Bangladeshi students can thrive in the UK and beyond.

If you are a school leader who wants to go further:

• Explore our Leadership Programmes designed for principals, senior leaders, and faculty leaders in Bangladesh → EBTD Leadership Courses

• Visit our Research Hub for free resources that bring global evidence and local insights together → EBTD Research Hub

Together, we can prepare the next generation not just to enter lecture halls — but to belong, succeed, and flourish

Reference

Dias-Broens, A.S., Meeuwisse, M. and Severiens, S.E. (2024) ‘The definition and measurement of sense of belonging in higher education: A systematic literature review with a special focus on students’ ethnicity and generation status in higher education’, Educational Research Review, 45, p.100622. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X24000319