Improving your child’s school attendance
Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)
Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) describes the difficulties that some children and young people have in attending school due to emotional factors. This can result in prolonged absences from school.
EBSNA includes children and young people who:
- go to school but experience separation or social anxiety, and psychosomatic illnesses
- have frequent absences due to anxiety or illness
- are unable to attend daily
EBSNA may also be known as Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
There are four stages of support
Schools and parents work together to support the child/young person.
- Professionals in mental health and special educational needs provide help when needed
- Educational Psychologists (EPs) offer advice to the school and the parent/carer
- Schools can refer to the EBSNA team
The EBSNA toolkit provides guidance and resources for professionals working in or with schools to develop an understanding of what leads children and young people to feel that they must avoid school.
Multi-Agency support is required to help children become ready to go back to school. A plan is put in place to support the family and the child/young person.
EBSNA Parent and Carer Guidance
The guidance aims to help parents or carers understand EBSNA and to support children and young people.
EBSNA Toolkit for Professionals
The EBSNA toolkit provides guidance and resources for professionals working in or with schools to develop an understanding of what leads children and young people to feel that they must avoid school.
Professionals also have access to a series of short pre-recorded training sessions. These sessions introduce the nature and causes of EBSNA.