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What is 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
• Your child feels unable to go to school; sometimes they may even become upset/angry when asked to go to school
• Your child may go to school but feel unable to attend lessons
• Your child says that they feel unwell/sick; this may be before school or on a Sunday night
• Your child finds reasons to want to stay at home
• Your child appears nervous or worried when entering school or when talking about school

If your 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 speak with your child’s teacher about your concerns.

What can lead to EBSA?

It is important not to blame yourself if your 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 your 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 your child feel uncomfortable about school
• A change in your child’s schooling, e.g., moving to a new school or starting at secondary school.
• A change in your child’s home situation e.g., parents separating, or a parent experiencing illness or mental health.
• You have another child who experiences EBSA
• Your child has special educational needs, that require further identification and/or support. Further information can be found here SENDLO

How do I help my child?

Be mindful of your language – saying your 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 your child back to school, punish or shame them – this will only make their experience more stressful and traumatic.

Work with your child and their school – identify the barriers or struggles they are facing and work together to find appropriate support and solutions.

Ensure your child has a good sleep routine to help them feel ready for school. Information about sleep can be found at Teen Sleep Hub and The Sleep Charity

Have clear, morning and evening routines to help them feel ready for school. Information about routines can be found here

If your child is at home, use the time to talk with them about school and find out what is making them feel uncomfortable about school

Further information and advice can be found here