To think there have to be some clearer reasons for the rise in school attendance problems?

[FloorWipes]

Inspired by this article https://unherd.com/2024/02/the-tragedy-of-britains-school-refusers/

How specifically has the pandemic affected things? Why is the environment so inhospitable to the neurodivergent?

school refusal is contagious

it comes down to beans.

Kids aren’t a tin of baked beans being taught, they are the individual beans inside.

there isn’t the funding to teach the children as they should be, to support them properly, to engage with them on an in visual level. Teacher recruitment and retention is on the floor. Schools are hard places to be

Too Noisy. Too crowded. Too unpredictable. Too much pressure. Just for starters. (These problems started way before the pandemic though for my 2).

I do agree with what you are saying but kids have never been taught as individuals so that still doesn't explain a rise.

I think it's down to a combination of things...like a PP school refusal is contagious, gentle parenting (I know some genuine school refusers, I also know some friends who "can't get them to go in"), parental apathy since covid and teacher strikes - government and schools didn't mind my kids not going in...so they don't force the issue. We also seem to have developed a fear as parents of doing anything that might upset our children.

I believe there are very genuine school refusers for very genuine reasons but I also think there are some very wishy washy parents who don't try hard enough to get their kids into school.

At least some of the reasons are clear. It's just some parties would rather they weren't.

There is a thread for supporting parents of children with EBSA on Chat. If you read just a few of the contributions on that you might get an idea but can I please urge anyone who thinks as @notknowledgeable does to please not comment. It is not about lazy kids or parents who just can't be arsed taking an easy option.

Well, we are just starting to go through this with oldest daughter. I wonder which we are: “wishy washy” parents, or the ones whose dd has a genuine need?

Aside all the mental health issues that arose, I think the pandemic taught children that school was optional. Prior to then, you went to school. Everyone did. It was a default setting, and adults mirrored this with going out to work.

However, since then, parents wfh and kids learnt that you didn’t have to be in school. During the pandemic they were allowed home, and that continued.

I see this casualness in my son as well. He works from home a few days a week but is much more fluid in his hours. In the past, you worked a strict 9-5. Now he may finish early one day, and work longer the next, without any recourse. It all seems a lot more casual.

Anyone can comment all they like. This is a thread about the reasons for the rise in school refusal. One of the reasons is contagion. Fact.

The Ed pysc who reviewed my EBSA for an EHCP said that it broke the routine rather than it being ‘optional’

That they’d spent years getting up and going to school, and then stopped. And some couldn’t get back in the saddle again.

Its not casualness, it’s things being broken. He was rushed off his feet. Seeing 1000’s of kids. He probably knows more than you with your ‘casual’ comment.

My Ebsa was desperate to go to school. But couldn’t. She couldn’t cope with the stress. She’s ND. Conditions in schools are appalling. Students are just under so much pressure.

l was a secondary school teacher for 25 years. I hated seeing the stress of the kids.

I know it’s a very complex issue but I can’t see how anyone can deny that “contagion” is a factor (one of many I’m sure!)

It’s the same with literally anything, the more people do it the more others see it as acceptable and are more likely to allow it/want to try it.

Op.... school refusal is not always down to laziness from the child or parents. Maybe the child is struggling mentally with the pressure of the school work??? Maybe school aren't helping with the problem and have an attitude of you either come in full time or nothing?? Two sides to every coin

Ebsa needs to be classed as an illness rather than ‘laziness or feckless parents’

That article is correct. My Dd is academically able AUDHD. She couldn’t cope with mainstream when she entered burnout. Burnout which was caused by being forced into a hectic NT environment. When we pushed her in she self harmed. It’s these kids that are being failed.

Fortunately we have a decent council and got an EHCP. She’s start a lovely academically able ND school to do her A levels after a year out of school next week.

The child who refused mainstream is dying to start. She’s desperate to learn. There will be 2 students in an A level class with trained teachers. She will have her own communication mentor, and they sort out placements for UCAS for them. Lots of focus on mental health and skills for life. This is showing them how to do life, not screaming at them about ‘resiliance’

Its been a terrible journey.

A lot of the issue is down to unmet additional needs. The specialist staff just aren't there anymore. Huge staff turn over, inexperienced staff, lack of training. Children's needs just aren't being met. My son is an alternative Communicator who needs staff trained on his communication aid. The training often wasn't provided and when it was (often paid for by me) the staff would leave. That left us in a never ending cycle. He was forced to go to school and wasn't able to communicate with anyone. He became so stressed by school that it triggered his epilepsy and refused to go. We can't just ignore children's needs and then pretend we don't know why they are school refusing.

My son is in year 7 but has had fairly poorly attendance since starting. He has been near constantly ill since starting in September, keeps catching viruses, sickness/diarrhoea bugs.

Physical illness aside, he's missed a few days due to working himself up into a real state as tbh the school day sounds bloody awful. He says teachers are constantly shouting, they are often doing tests which adds pressure, not allowed to use the toilet etc. Sounds more like a prison to me, if other schools are the sane, I'm not surprised attendance is so poor generally.

Sounds expensive, maybe the DfE can just put out some shit gaslighting adverts instead.

Conditions in school have got so much worse. Teachers are leaving on droves. Look at and teaching thread or start a thread asking teachers what's wrong in schools...

The reposnse by many areas has been to become ultra strict - this maintains discipline but cna be terrifying for neurodivergent as "one step out of line" is a black mark or detention.

Schools have lost flexibility, courses ahve become more demanding and we are so exam driven now there isn't the freedom for "love of leavrning"

Between my 15 year old andnq2 year old going theough infants in our area year 1 changed from mostly play based to "sit on chairs learning to read" . It also lost much of the art and drama and "friday fun" session .this was due to becoming an academy.

Academy chains are streamlining education like a business to get results. To focus on the essentials for deliverable targets. But education isn't like that. It's a long time as children and needs whole child focus. The fun and the wonder of learner gets lost.

So so many reasons why it's much harder for the neurodivergent on recent years. I work with many parents talking about autism and its a familiar story 😔

It's the money. There's fewer teachers, and even fewer experienced teachers, so there's bigger and more chaotic classes. Fewer TAs and other support staff, so less support in school and fewer staff available to work with families to get kids in. Parental disengagement with higher stress levels in struggling families. Less social services and community support for families. Basically a bunch of bad policies coming home to roost.

All of this, plus the impact of school closures and restrictions during the pandemic.

And yes all those things.

There used to be a TA in each class which meant those struggling had support. Budget cuts meant these went.

And yes to the lack of mental health support. I know someone who is a suicidal teen just on a waiting list....

And parental conflict and stress with col crisis, working more etc affects kids.

Lack of quick healthcare.

Takes 2 years ish for a diagnosis once on the system. It's broken.

I think it just broke the routine. It’s happening elsewhere as well - it’s not specific to the UK. If my kids are mildly ill now I’m more likely to keep them home - after all they were home for months and the world didn’t fall in.

There were loads of kids unhappy and finding the school system not working for them anyway, the pandemic just gave them the idea of not going in as a solution.

But it's politically easier to blame it kn feckless mothers of course🙄🙄🙄

Yep, so true.

It makes me so FUCKING ANGRY.

This country hates its children.

@notknowledgeable I meant please don't comment on the support thread. That one is for supporting parents going through this appalling, traumatic, isolating and terrifying ordeal of parenting a child with EBSA. People lose their jobs, marriages, their own good mental health. They are pushed to the limits of endurance fighting their child, fighting schools, fighting a broken system of "support", fighting uncomprehending family members who just think they are being soft and should punish their kids to make them go in and now public opinion as well.

Noone is denying that some cases of absence is your good old fashioned truanting but in seeking to appear "tough" on those, the system is actively harming thousands of young people and parents. I'd love to know the statistics for the effectiveness of fines and criminal prosecution for parents whose kids are absent. Do they suddenly return to school?

Covid is known to deplete the immune system. We seem, as a society, happy to let out DC deplete their immune systems a couple of times a year, then they come down with everything else going round, and sick absences from school sky-rocket.

Not much is known about Covid's neuro effects in children, but in adults the emergent evidence is concerning. If it is similar to adult pattern, then I think we'd be seeing a rise in DC struggling to cope

Plus of course families which are still required to shield (yes, they exist, somewhere between 0.5-1.5 million) may decide that F2F school attendance is too risky