Emotionally Based School Avoidance – EBSA
EBSA is a term used to describe situations where children feel unable to attend school or lessons due to feeling worried or anxious. EBSA may mean that:
School attendance is hard
A child feels unable to go to school; sometimes they may even become upset/angry when asked to go to school
A child may go to school but feel unable to attend lessons
A child says that they feel unwell/sick; this may be before school or on a Sunday night
A child finds reasons to want to stay at home
A child appears nervous or worried when entering school or when talking about school
If a child is showing one or more of these behaviours, they may be experiencing EBSA and require additional support to go to school. The first thing to do is to hold a conversation between school and home to discuss the behaviours you have noticed.
EBSA is a term used to describe situations where children feel unable to attend school or lessons due to feeling worried or anxious. EBSA may mean that:
School attendance is hard
A child feels unable to go to school; sometimes they may even become upset/angry when asked to go to school
A child may go to school but feel unable to attend lessons
A child says that they feel unwell/sick; this may be before school or on a Sunday night
A child finds reasons to want to stay at home
A child appears nervous or worried when entering school or when talking about school
If a child is showing one or more of these behaviours, they may be experiencing EBSA and require additional support to go to school. The first thing to do is to hold a conversation between school and home to discuss the behaviours you have noticed.
What can lead to EBSA?
It is important not to place blame on children or families if a child feels unable to attend school or lessons. There can be lots of reasons that may cause a child to feel this way. There is usually more than one reason why a child may feel this way and it can be quite complicated. Some reasons may include:
There has been an incident in school, e.g. argument with friends/teachers, that makes a child feel uncomfortable about school
A change in the child’s schooling, e.g., moving to a new school or starting at secondary school
A change in the child’s home situation e.g., parents separating, or a parent experiencing illness or mental health
The child has a sibling who has experienced/is currently experiencing EBSA
A child has special educational needs, that require further identification and/or support. Further information can be found on SENDLO directory of SEND.
How do I help the child?
Be mindful of your language – saying a child “refuses” to attend school assumes that they are making a conscious decision to do so and is inconveniencing others. Saying they are unable to attend allows you to seek causes and solutions without blame.
Don’t force a child back to school (if they are significantly distressed), punish or shame them – this will only make their experience more stressful and traumatic.
EBSA is often complicated, so working together through a non-blaming and collaborative approach is vital for success.
School staff, family and the child /young person need to work together to identify the barriers or struggles they are facing. Sometimes support from other agencies is needed.
Celebrate the small steps of progress that are made, as well as the major milestones.
Possible School Support
Consider the individual needs of the child and possible triggers that may be leading to EBSA. For example:
Is there underlying, generalised anxiety that may require support?
Is the child supported academically i.e. does the child experience a sense of success in school and are they well supported if they struggle?
Does the child have a good friendship circle? Or has there been an incident or breakdown in friendships?
Does the child have identified relationships with members of staff such as their class teacher?
Does the child have unidentified or unmet special educational needs?
Possible Home Support
Every situation is unique, and so parent / carers will need a range of support to suit their home life. The Family Toolbox website and Family Hubs have lots of resources, and links to other organisations who can help. Two things that are important in helping families, are strong routines and good sleep.
Explore if there is any support that can be provided to promote healthy routines. Having clear, morning and evening routines is vital to help a child feel ready for school. Information about routines can be found here.
Discussion may also include supporting home in promoting good sleep routines to help a child feel ready for school. Information about sleep can be found at Teen Sleep Hub and The Sleep Charity.
Wirral’s EBSA Strategy
Wirral are currently co-ordinating a project to explore support for schools, families and local authority teams around EBSA.
The Wirral EBSA strategy has been developed in response to the increasing number of children and young people who feel unable to attend school or lessons due to feeling worried or anxious. This can be described as Emotionally Based School Avoidance. The video explains this strategy and outlines the local plan to create support for young people, families and Wirral schools.
This page will be updated regularly to keep you informed about the strategy and the release of any new resources. Currently, this strategy is developing and in the future there will be:
Free online videos to give you advice on how to support a child with EBSA
Free workshops around EBSA
Free resources
Wirral support networks and groups
Information on how to seek advice/guidance from professionals
The project team are keen to ensure that this strategy is embedded across Wirral, therefore it will take time to roll out materials discussed above. Please check this page for updates. In the meantime, please see Emotionally Based School Avoidance for further information to help support a child.