In our experience of working with families with SEND learners, difficulties with school attendance often mirror the challenges a child or young person is having at school.
Generally, we find the pupil is experiencing difficulties with the process of learning, mental health or even bullying in school – and these issues are not being addressed appropriately. This can lead to increased levels of struggle or anxiety – and the anxiety can sometimes become so high that it forces a young person to attend school less frequently.
This can be a hugely stressful situation for the learner and the parents, who may be expected to ensure that their child attends school, even if there isn’t adequate support in place. Once attendance has fallen below a certain level, a school might start sending out automatic letters, placing further pressure on the parents. In many schools, there can be a discipline-focused approach to low attendance – and parents tend to find this very unhelpful.
Based on what parents tell us, the most effective response to attendance difficulties would be to look at the learner’s experiences and challenges in school and to try and deal with these collaboratively.
We have seen pupils struggling due to the sensory experience they have in the classroom with noises and smells feeling overwhelming; because the work is too easy or too hard (leading to either boredom or anxiety); and where bullying or difficulties in social situations have become scary and oppressive. In the end, it is only when appropriate adjustments are made between the learner, their teaching team and their family that the situation can generally start to resolve. It is likely to require considerable patience and consistent support and flexibility to address the issues.
Regrettably, this is not always possible because the adaptations needed may be over and above what schools are capable of, particularly in mainstream education. Additionally, schools can sometimes sadly underestimate what support is needed and may not understand the extent to which some pupils have learned to camouflage their real needs and feelings at school, with the impact becoming most apparent at home.
Our experience suggests that disciplining school refusers and forcing them to go to school is counterproductive, and that the only effective way to tackle the issue is with understanding, support and encouragement combined with effective and practical modifications. For example, for GCSE students, we have seen that lightening the load of subjects can prove to be beneficial – especially where subjects a pupil particularly dislikes can be removed. Also, encouraging learners to join the lessons that they love regularly first before adding in others can help, as can encouraging pupils to join a school trip or social activity at school to allow them to gradually increase their ability to be in school. A tailored approach to work missed during absences can be useful so that the work can be caught up gradually, preventing a daunting workload upon a child’s eventual return to school.
Sometimes, low attendance and difficulties at school can lead to such a high level of anxiety about attendance that this can become a school phobia. We have seen this arise mostly in situations where the school has been slow in making necessary alterations and there is a loss of trust in school by the pupil. This can cause learners to lose any hope that they will ever be comfortable in school.
We would advise seeking support from professionals as early as possible. It can also be important for parents to manage the interaction with the school and help maintain the relationship.
It would also be worth working with the school, if possible, to think about whether the level of adjustments needed is sufficient to warrant further support such as an ÍÑ¿ã°É, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Where school attendance is too low for academic progress to be maintained, it is a good idea to consider whether another school would be a better fit, or if support can be provided to the child at home to prevent any gaps in a pupil’s learning.
If you need assistance with working out how to move forward with this issue, our
advisory team can help.