School plays a fundamental role in a child’s development and has a major impact on their overall well-being.
While many children enjoy school and thrive in an environment where they can be with friends and participate in various activities, it is also quite normal for them to go through a phase of mild anxiety about going to school – perhaps after school holidays, a period of illness, or because of a problem with friends – and it can be difficult for parents to know what to do best when these feelings arise.
Before Covid, persistent absenteeism had fallen, from 16.3% in 2010/2011 to 10.9% in 2019/2020, according to government statistics. However, post-Covid there has been a significant increase in absences from school. The government is working on this, and there are approximately 380,000 fewer pupils who were persistently absent or absent in 2022/23 than in 2021/22. But it is still the case that more than one in five children in England missed school frequently in the last school year, a figure that has more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
Dr Sophie Mort, clinical psychologist and mental health expert at Headspace, says: “It’s understandable that children can resist going to school when anxiety builds, and it’s often difficult for parents to know whether to allow them to stay at home or encourage them to feel the fear and go in anyway.Being open and sharing experiences of when you have struggled can help your children.
“Children and teenagers often experience a lot of stress and feelings of high pressure, and in many cases do not yet have the tools to understand or process these complex emotions. And while children navigate the challenges of growing older, school can be a difficult place to be both physically and mentally. Maybe they become more aware of their appearance, or their different upbringings, or they just see the world in a different way.”
To help you gain a better understanding of what may be driving your child’s anxiety and gently encourage them to talk through it, so they can continue in school, tips, advice and resources are available.
Heather Hackwood, Trust Attendance Officer at Scholars’ Education Trust, is passionate about supporting parents to gently help their children back into the classroom. She says: “First and foremost, attendance must be a whole-school approach. All staff have a role to play in addressing attendance from a whole-school perspective, actively promoting the link between attendance and achievement.
“The key for us is to make sure we’re asking the right questions to try to understand why a student is struggling with school. We can then respond to that in a tailored way, which we do with different strategies. We’ve had real success. by plot the worries they have against a timeline, from getting up in the morning to sleeping at night, so we can get a clear picture and try to discover what the recurring patterns might be.
“Once we get all that information, we’ll say ‘ok, let’s make a plan together’ and we’ll create support plans or emotionally based plans to avoid school with the student. An example of this might be a daily check-in with a pre-assigned member of staff with whom they can build a trusting relationship We know that with checks in place students feel supported, it makes them feel seen and that their views are valued.
“Other examples of interventions are schedule adjustments, a time-out card, mentoring support, parent/carer meetings, sessions with the school counselor, a buddy system, lunchtime activities, a regulation space, or referral to outside agencies.
“Excellent attendance at school is essential for our pupils to fulfill their full potential, improve their life chances for the future, enjoy the social aspect of school and feel part of the school community.”
Whatever the root cause of your child’s anxiety about school, you are not alone – and there is professional support available to help you help your child deal with their worries and go to school with confidence. Parents can visit The Education Hub, where they can find a list of resources that can help.