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
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.