Emotionally Based School Avoidance
EBSA refers to 'reduced or non-attendance at school by a child or young person due to emotional, mental health or wellbeing issues' (Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, 2022).
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Advisory Team
What is EBSA?
It is estimated that EBSA affects 5 to 28 per cent of children at some point in their schooling journey (Kearney, 2001). The number of pupils experiencing EBSA has increased since Covid-19.
Pupils experiencing EBSA want to attend school.
Pupils can experience EBSA due to feelings that build up over time or as the result of a specific trigger.
Pupils experiencing EBSA can be both attending and not attending school.
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
The pupil is attending school but shows occasional reluctance to attend and/or is anxious about attending school. | The pupil is attending school but they are experiencing high levels of anxiety. Parents express that they can appear reluctant to attend school. Occasional absences may occur. | The pupils may be in school but not able to attend some lessons. The pupil may have periods of non-attendance. Patterns may be forming. Reluctance to attend school is a concern to parents. | The pupil is no longer attending school. Their negative feelings about school are overwhelming. |
The signs of EBSA can be:
- talk of headaches/tummy aches
- negative talk about school
- decline in punctuality
- not wanting to put uniform on
- changes in behaviour
- outbursts of anger
- withdrawal/reduced engagement
We can't necessarily see anxiety and pupils often use 'masking' to fit in.
A high proportion of pupils experiencing EBSA are Autistic, and masking can be normal and necessary for them and exhausting!
A pupil can often look fine in school, but the effects of their coping mechanisms are seen at home, when they feel that they can 'unmask'.
Who does the EBSA team support?
The EBSA Advisory Team supports all West Berkshire primary schools. Our primary function is to provide general advice and support to schools where a child is experiencing EBSA. We can also take referrals from schools to a monthly triage panel meeting, to consider any additional support that we are able to offer to the child/young person, family and/or school.
The remit of the team is to support the child/young person to remain in or return to their school. We may also be able to support a transition to another mainstream primary school.
Secondary schools, who do not buy into the support of the EBSA Advisory Team, make their own EBSA provisions within school.
Contact
To make a referral to the EBSA Advisory Team/request referral forms or for general EBSA information, please contact the EBSA Coordinator:
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