{{ root_page.title }}
Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
It is common for children and young people to experience worry or anxiety about school. While feeling anxious is a normal part of development, and most children learn to manage these feelings as they grow up, sometimes a child's worries can become severe enough that it becomes a barrier to attend school. In cases where a child has high levels of anxiety that prevent them from going to school, they may be experiencing Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) may experience anxiety or sensory overload, which can impact their behaviour and attendance at school. These underlying issues are not always immediately apparent. If you suspect your child has unidentified needs, you should discuss this with the school to see how best to support them.
Your child may feel overwhelmed and unable to cope when going to school, leading to crying, physical symptoms such as feeling sick, or even threats of self-harm. Avoiding school is a common stress response, and their anxiety may noticeably decrease during weekends or school holidays.
Could there possibly be unmet SEND?
EBSA due to unmet SEND is not the same as general non-attendance for physical illness or truancy, as the child often wants to be in school, but is struggling to cope with the demands of it.
These underlying reasons can be complex and due to several factors, rather than one single cause. These barriers need to be explored and addressed in order to re-engage the child with their setting and learning.
You can arrange a meeting with all involved professionals and school staff to put together a plan with you and your child where possible. The plan should identify any special educational needs, how your child will be supported when they are at school and include what the next steps will be.
The school should keep an optimistic approach and offer support to you in getting your child to school. It is important to keep communicating regularly with the school. You can ask the school or a key member of staff to liaise with so you can report any attendance difficulties immediately. It is also important to remember there is likely to be more difficulty after a school holiday, period of illness or after the weekend, so these transitions should be well supported.
Take a look at the school’s SEND policy to find out more about their approach to identifying and supporting children. This should be on their website, but you can also request a copy via the school’s office if you need to.
See our School SEN Support page for more information on any concerns you have about your child’s needs.
Things you can try
Ask your child what they find difficult and what they would like to change. This can help identify specific triggers and worries. Your child's views should be the starting point of any discussion about support.
Here are some ideas for support strategies you can discuss with school which may help your child cope:
- ‘meet and greet’ with a trusted member of staff at the start or at the end of the day
- Regular check-in’s with a trusted member of staff to make sure that they are ok
- help to understand and manage their feelings and emotions
- positive praise for taking part, getting through a lesson, etc
- 'time-out' card for when they feel overwhelmed in lessons
- lesson or movement breaks (to allow to self-regulate or calm themselves)
- changes to the timetable where possible if particular lessons are a trigger
- learning away from the classroom, in a dedicated area or a 'safe space'
- having lunch away from the dinner hall, ask whether any lunchtime clubs are available or somewhere quiet is available
- 1:1 or small group interventions, support programmes, anxiety or friendship groups
- leaving lessons or school 5 minutes early to avoid crowded corridors
- ensure the school have involved the local authority Inclusion Team for advice and guidance on how they can support your child to attend school regularly.
You can also reach out to the Greenwich Attendance Advisory Service for advice and support. They can work with you and the school to explore options for further support and strategies to help to improve attendance.
See the following for more information: Help with getting your child to attend school | Royal Borough of Greenwich
What can schools do?
As part of the graduated approach, found in the SEND Code of Practice, the guidance suggests that schools should:
- Assess – teaching staff assess your child’s needs.
- Plan – school agrees the support that will be provided, how often and who will be responsible for it. A date should be set for progress to be reviewed.
- Do – the support is put in place and regularly monitored.
- Review – school reviews the support plan and your child's progress at least three times per year.
Find out more about this process on our School SEN Support page as well as the school’s SEND policy which can be found on their website.
School’s can also engage with teams at Greenwich such as the Attendance Advisory Service, Inclusion Team or the SEND Team for advice and support.
What else can I do?
If following discussions with school, you still feel that they are not able to meet your child’s needs, you can consider discussing applying for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Find out more about Education Health and Care Plans.
If your child already has an EHCP, it may need to be reviewed. For example, it may be that your child has developed new social, emotional or mental health needs that are not covered by the existing plan. This can be discussed with school and SEND to see if any changes need to be made. Find out more about Annual Reviews.
Greenwich also have a document which explains their duties to educate young people who are struggling to attend. Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) is typically associated with children and young people with EHCP's who, for whatever reason, are unable to access the school environment.
Guidance for education other than at school September 2023
IPSEA - Home education and ‘education otherwise’ | (IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice
You could also speak to your child's GP about your concerns. If the GP agrees that your child is not currently able to attend school, they may be able to write you a letter to give as evidence to the school or local authority for their non-attendance. They may also discuss making a referral to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Find out more about Greenwich CAMHS.
If CAMHS is already involved, they may mention Newhaven NEST if a child or young person is struggling in the mainstream environment. CAMHS, the current school and the LA may agree to provide a temporary placement in the small, theraputic based alternative provision. Find out more about the NEST provision at Newhaven - NEST | Newhaven School
If your child is not attending school due to a long-term medical or mental health condition, you can find further information and advice on our Health page. Greenwich also has their RBG Medical Needs Guidance 25 for more information.
What if my child behaves differently at school?
It is not uncommon for children with SEND to behave differently in different environments. For example, your child may be presenting as anxious and distressed at home, not feeling able to go to school. Yet, once they are in school they present as a calm and compliant child. This may mean your child is 'masking' rather than coping or adapting to their environment. You should discuss this with school as they may not be aware of the difficulties outside of school. They may be able to put things in place at school to help to reduce any anxiety your child has at school.
What about reduced and part-time timetables?
All schools, academies and free schools have a statutory duty to provide full-time education for all pupils of compulsory school age.
Education should be:
- Full-time
- Efficient - the education must achieve what it sets out to achieve
- Suitable - to their age, ability and aptitude and any special educational needs they may have. The education must also equip the child for life within the community and must not limit a child’s options in later life.
In exceptional circumstances, schools may decide to propose a reduced timetable to support a pupil's needs. There must be a clear reason and some evidence as to why this approach is needed.
The Equalities Act 2010 says that it is illegal for schools to discriminate against pupils on the basis of their special educational needs and/or disability, including those with social emotional and mental health difficulties.
Find out more about this in the RBG Guidance for Schools on the Use of Reduced Time Tables.
What should the Local Authority do?
Government guidance makes it clear that where the LA knows that a child is not receiving suitable full-time education, or not receiving the number of hours they could benefit from education, it should step in to arrange provision.
The LA should:
- consider the individual circumstances of each case and be aware that they may need to act whatever the reason for absence, even when a child is on a school roll
- choose, based on all the evidence, whether to enforce attendance or provide the child with suitable alternative education
- keep all cases of part-time education under review with a view to increasing it if a child's capacity to learn increases
- adopt a strategic and planned approach to reintegrating children into mainstream education where they are able to do so; and
- put whatever action is chosen into practice without delay to ensure the child is back in education as soon as possible
Working together to improve school attendance - GOV.UK - Chapter 4
In addition to this guidance, the Local Government Ombudsman had ruled that:
- A council’s requirement that there must be a medical reason for the absence has no sound basis; and
- A council stating they have not had evidence that a child has been unable to attend school, was considered a sweeping statement because parents had clearly documented the difficulties that their young person experienced and what that meant practically for them.
Focus report: Out of School, Out of Sight - published 2021, amended 2023
Useful Services
Attendance Advisory Service
Help with getting your child to attend school | Royal Borough of Greenwich
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 8921 8510
Greenwich Inclusion Service
Email: [email protected]
Greenwich SEND Team
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 8921 8029
ASD Outreach
ASD (Autism) Outreach | Greenwich Community Directory
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 8921 3311
Medical Officer
Email: [email protected]
Family and Adolescent Support Service (FaASS, previously Early Help)
Get help and support | Royal Borough of Greenwich - (see bottom of the page) Contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for more information:
Telephone: 020 8921 3172
Email: [email protected]
Mental Health and Family Support Services
Greenwich CAMHS
Our services | Oxleas NHS Foundation Trus
Greenwich MENCAP - provide care, advice and support to people with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and autism and their families
Greenwich Mencap – The voice of learning disability in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London.
Metro GAD - Advice and information, advocacy and volunteering opportunities for disabled people
Advice for disabled people in Greenwich (METRO GAD) | METRO Charity
Young Minds - children and young people's mental health charity
YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds
They also have a parent/carer helpline and webchat
Kooth - an online mental wellbeing community for young people
The Mix –provide free, confidential support for young people under 25
Legal Duties and Guidance
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014
Children and Families Act 2014
Department for Education (DfE) Guidance:
Working together to improve school attendance - GOV.UK
Working together to improve school attendance (applies from 19 August 2024)
Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance (applies from 19 August 2024)
Useful Links
SEND mental health support | Royal Borough of Greenwich
Royal Borough of Greenwich Positive approaches for Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
Resources for families | Children's Commissioner for England
Tackling complex feelings and back to school anxiety - Family Action (family-action.org.uk)
School Anxiety and Refusal | Parent Guide to Support | YoungMinds
School anxiety | (IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice
Mental health issues affecting a pupil's attendance: guidance for schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Focus report: Out of School, Out of Sight - published 2021, amended 2023
Resources – See Emotional and Wellbeing Support