Emotional barriers to school attendance (EBSA) guidance

Why EBSA happens

There's no one reason why children and young people experience EBSA. There are a unique combination of factors which contribute to each child and young person’s feelings about school or being away from home.  

Unique combination of factors

There are different systems around every individual which impact their life. This includes immediate systems such as family, friendship groups or teachers. Wider systems also influence people, this includes communities, parents/carers jobs and the mass media.

Thinking about the systems around a child or young person can provide a framework to collaboratively identify the different factors that may be contributing to their EBSA.

Experiences which can impact EBSA

It's important to note that there are no specific experiences which always lead to EBSA or always help to improve it. Building a rich picture of the child or young person’s experiences will support schools to work to identify and support EBSA in the most effective way possible. These experiences can be split into three categories: the child or young person, the home context, and the school. The factors may negatively or positively influence a child or young person’s school attendance.

These could include the following:

• Within-Child Factors: Having Special Educational Needs or Disabilities, mental health concerns, aspirations, developing self-confidence.
• School experiences: Difficulties socialising with peers, academic pressures, working in collaboration with families and young people, good relationships between staff and pupils.
• Home experiences: Relationships within the local community, changes within the family, good family relationships.

Anxiety and EBSA

The unique combination of factors contributing to a child or young person’s EBSA vary, however these challenges often include, or may lead to, feelings of anxiety. 

Anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling of fear that involves our thoughts (psychological state) and physical reactions in our bodies (physical state). It's a normal part of our lives which can help to protect us by reminding us to avoid situations which previously caused us or nearly caused us harm. Everyone has experienced anxiety at some time in their life; it's a normal and natural reaction to something we consider to be threatening. However, anxiety can have a negative impact when it begins to affect our everyday lives and we may need support when this happens. 

Feelings of anxiety can often reduce because of not attending school or avoiding a part of the day that was causing anxiety. The relief associated with this reduction in anxiety can reinforce avoidance as a way for children and young people to feel better. Time away from school due to ongoing patterns of avoidance can further complicate feelings of anxiety.

We need to seek to understand and break this cycle by intervening as early as possible before it's entrenched and working with each child or young person to explore their individual cycle and put individualised support in place. It can be helpful to seek to develop a child or young person’s self-awareness and develop skills to help them manage their anxiety in helpful ways.

This may involve:

• addressing difficulties or problems in school
• support to catch up on missed schoolwork so as to not ‘fall behind’
• developing connections with peers and a sense of belonging in the school community
• supporting any anxiety involving separating from parents/carers or being away from home
• developing a sense of hope and autonomy to change the situation

Responding to each child or young person’s unique factors contributing to their EBSA requires a plan which recognises and addresses each factor and the related anxiety.  

Working together to overcome EBSA

In order to seek to overcome EBSA it's important for schools to take a whole-school, preventative approach.

Best practice for supporting whole school wellbeing

• Embedding relational approaches in policy and practice
• Child-centred approaches to decision making at the school, class and individual levels (ensuring children and young people feel their voice is valued and heard)
• Working in partnership
• Implementing a rigorous SEND support process which identifies need and early driven towards identifying what works
• Attendance monitoring processes which focus on identification and support and are joined up with SEND and pastoral processes

Building blocks for resilience

There are several key factors which have been identified as supportive of EBSA prevention at a whole-school level. These are outlined below: 

• building confidence, self-esteem, aspiration and motivation
• ensuring feelings of safety, security and a sense of belonging
• providing opportunities for experiences or success and celebration
• prioritising the development and maintenance of caring relationships in setting and building trust
• building understanding of the relationship between thoughts, feelings and actions
• creating an environment in which children and young people’s voices are valued and ensuring individuals feel listened to and understood
• commitment from all parties to work in partnership
• systems and policies which allow for flexibility in approaches to allow for individual approaches to be implemented
• ensuring access to training, support and development in understanding of EBSA and related needs

What children and young people and their families say

Many of these factors were supported in our conversations with children and young people and parent(s)/carer(s) in Barnsley. The quotes below were given in response to questions about what helped children and young people to attend school:

“The school receptionists have been amazing, they smile, say good morning, good afternoon and tell her it’s nice to see her when she goes in. This reduces so much anxiety.”

“Setting plans together with my mum and school… listen to me and my Mummy”

“Making getting rewards… more achievable for children that find it hard… Rewards for improved attendance, not every child can do 100%... More praise and people noticing my strengths.”

“Having a separate routine to peers at the start of the day meant that I could be away from the other children, crowds and noise. I line up and go into a separate door… A one-page profile that informs my teachers. It tells them I don’t like direct questioning and how to talk to me. They probably wouldn’t know I was struggling just be looking at me in lessons.”

Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR)

Working together is very important in understanding and addressing factors that contribute to a child or young person’s EBSA. This can be achieved through the development and implementation of a clear plan. A key aspect of successful plans is consistency. An Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle provides a clear scaffold for this process.  

Where risks of EBSA have been identified, it’s crucial to gather further information from the child or young person, parent/carer and any wider professional (including setting staff). Those involved with should implement strategies to support the child or young person as soon as possible. Early identification and intervention can prevent EBSA from becoming established and result in positive outcomes. Settings should follow a thorough assess, plan, do and review cycle ensuring that they are placing the child or young person at the centre of the planning/interventions.  

Assess

If there are concerns that a child may be experiencing EBSA, a prompt exploration of the possible reasons for this should take place. A system for early identification of risk factors or signs should be in place.

For any intervention or support plan to be successful it is essential to gather information with children and young people, parents/carers and setting staff. This assessment process should include: 

• gathering views of children, families and key adults to explore the factors that may be contributing to EBSA
• working with families and wider setting staff to identify whether previously unidentified or unmet SEN might be a factor
• ensuring we work together with all involved to develop a shared understanding so that the best and most appropriate approaches can be implemented as part of plan

A key factor in the success of ongoing collaboration is the way that we respond to concerns (if they're raised with us by parents) or frame our concerns (if we are raising them for the first time) in those initial conversations as well as the approaches we use as we work through these conversations over time. Our approaches in these conversations should aim to communicate validation, curiosity and empathy. 

There are many different tools that can be used to gather the views of children or young people. They can be a useful way of supporting children and young people to share their views and opinions. This could include rating their timetables, completing card sorts designed to uncover what works to support them and what they find difficult.

 Plan

All plans (re-integration plans or school support plan) will be different and should be co-produced with parents/carers, the child or young person, and any other involved professionals. Each plan will be tailored to the individual, based on the information gathered during the assessment process. The plan should: 

• identify the key person in setting who will be a main point of contact and responsible for oversight of the implementation of the plan and review processes
• identify a key adult to provide daily monitoring including gentle encouragement and observation of what is or isn’t working. Consideration should be given to other roles this adult may have in the child’s school and whether this could undermine their role in the EBSA plan
• state the function or functions of the EBSA based on a shared understanding developed in the assessment phase (including any reference to power needs and meaning making that is helpful)
• summarise the push and pull factors shaping the child or young person’s EBSA as established in collaboration with all parties
• demonstrate clear agreement about what the school will do (what changes will be made) what the parent will do and what the child or young person will do
• identify tools and strategies to be implemented which target and reduce identified pull factors across contexts
• identify tools and strategies to strengthen and harness push factors and empowerment across contexts
• state clearly the agreed next steps towards realistic and achievable progress towards reintegration for the child or young person, including who is responsible for identified actions and a timeline for review. Returns should be gradual and recognise that overly ambitious plans are likely to fail.
• be circulated to all members of staff who encounter the child or young person (including non-teaching staff) with the importance of consistency communicated
• be followed to build trust and predictability for the child or young person
• the plan should be shared with all involved parties

Do

Any interventions should be tailored to the child or young person and based on the information gathered during the assessment stage. Staff should ensure that resources and support are in place and understood across setting. Interventions should be implemented with consistency.

All children or young person will need to be supported to think about: 

• what coping strategies they will use in different circumstances (e.g. relaxation activity during a lesson when feeling anxious)
• what provision is in place to support them (e.g. key worker available, time out card, access to safe space)
• what to do when something doesn’t happen as expected

Some situations may require a plan with smaller steps for the child or young person to follow, this should have been carefully thought out and planned with the child or young person in advance so that they are clear on any actions they should take.  

The impact of the plan will be strengthened through a shared understanding of the detail of what has been agreed and implementing support in line with the plan. In our discussions with parents/carers and children or young person, frequent reference was made to the importance that everyone does what they say they are going to do. This builds confidence in the plan and supports the child or young person to build resilience and progress.

Review

It's crucial that any plan is regularly reviewed with the child or young person, their family and other professionals involved to understand how the plan is progressing. Dates for reviewing should be agreed in advance, to ensure that all stakeholders are able to attend.  

The review should:

• clearly identify/celebrate any progress made
• capture the views of the child or young person and their family
• consider any new information gathered to inform clear next steps

These next steps could include:  

• consolidating and maintaining what is working in the current plan. 
• setting new outcomes/actions for the child or young person, and any others involved. 
• identifying if there is need for other agency support/involvement (see services and signposting in following section). 

Those involved should be aware that rushing the process or doing too much too soon could slow the success of the reintegration back into a setting. Progress should be monitored and the support strategies need to be evaluated. Continue to follow this cycle of assess, plan, do, review.

Person-centred practice and person-centred plans

Elements of person-centred practice can be used to guide best practice in the development of a well-informed plan.​ As is often the case, EBSA research tells us that there isn't one intervention which leads to positive outcomes.

Several of the key factors in successful EBSA support can be facilitated through person-centred practice. This includes:​

• having a clear understanding of the factors contributing to EBSA including exploration of underlying need not just externalised behaviours
• prioritising and valuing pupil voice and diversifying approaches to elicit and explore this.​
• strategies which are heavily informed by the C/YP's voice are integrated within a support plan.​
• meaningful engagement with parent voice to support collaboration and to ensure they feel listened to, valued and empowered
• understanding and responding to functions not just 'symptoms'
• scaffolding experiences of control and autonomy
• scaffolding opportunities for collaborative reflection on provision

Person-centred practice is rooted in the need to consider the needs of the person rather than the needs of the school. To practice in a person-centred way, we have to put the voice of the child or young person at the centre of our thinking, planning and problem-solving.

EBSA can make all involved feel very stuck and frustrated. Person-centred planning offers a way of working with children and young people, and their families to empower them to share their voices, to help us find solutions that are most likely to work for them.​ 

Common pitfalls in EBSA support

• All staff should be aware of the plan – this in important because questions and comments which challenge aspects of attendance such as “why did you miss my lesson?” can unintentionally set the plan back.
• Staff should not comment on any absences, even ‘positive’ comments. Children and young people have shared that they hate having attention drawn to their absences publicly.
• When implementing a return to school plan after a period of absence, particular care should be given to the first steps back into a setting.
• If a child or young person seems to be doing well and making progress, resist the temptation to add additional challenge e.g. asking if the child want to stay for longer as you may break their trust.
• Target time frames are too long- reviews need to frequent. Every three weeks can be a useful guideline.
• Changes are made outside of the APDR process without person-centred conversations.
• Support focuses on surface-level changeable difficulties without addressing underlying need or anxiety.