By Dr Natalie Carpenter, Hertfordshire Educational Psychology Service
RSHE for learners identified with SEND was the last topic I thought I would be passionate about and spend years of my life researching and pontificating its importance and value. However, a request for my involvement as an...
For many children and young people, attending school can feel overwhelming. What might seem like simple daily routines - getting dressed, travelling to school, entering a busy classroom - can require significant emotional and sensory energy. Without understanding these experiences from the...
As a parent, you want the best for your child. So when they start struggling to attend school, it can be a worrying and confusing time. You might have heard terms like 'school refusal' or 'school phobia', but there are also a wide range of newer more compassionate terms too, such as Emotionally...
As parents, we want our children to feel happy and secure at school. But when your child is experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), this can feel like an enormous challenge. If you're reading this, chances are you've already been on quite a journey with your child, navigating the...
There are many different terms that are used to describe a child's absence from school. These terms include "school refusal," "truancy," and "persistent absenteeism." While they all relate to a child's non-attendance at school, they have distinct meanings and implications which are important for...
As teachers, TAs and SENCOs, we're all too familiar with the challenges of supporting pupils who struggle to attend school. Whether it's a Year 3 who can't seem to make it through the school gates or a Year 11 whose attendance has suddenly plummeted, these situations are complex and often...
