school non-attendence Flashcards
persistent absentees
attendance less that 90%
severe absentees
attendance less than 50%
anna freud centre on prevalence of persistent absence
further reading
- in Autum 2021, 1 in 4 children were persistently absent
- in 2018/2019, this figure was 1 in 9 - meaning that persistent absence has more than doubled in the time period
square peg CIC on prevalence of persistently absent groups
further reading
- 36% of those with an EHCP
- 31% receiving SEN support
- 35% receiving free school meals
- 46% young carers
early typology of non-attendance
- blagg (1987)
- school phobia
- truancy
- other poor attenders
school phobia
blagg (1987)
- severe difficulties with attendance
- high levels of emotional distress - anxiety
- parents often know the child is at home
- no other anti-social problems
- fearful of coming to school
truancy
blagg (1987)
- absent but without good reason
- no evidence of emotional distress
- parents unaware or unable to exert influence
- often child not at home
critical evaluation: is there different ways that children show emotional distress
school refusal behaviours
recent distinctions
- “child motivated refusal to attend school or difficulties remaining in school for the entire day” (Kearney & Silberman, 1999)
- school refusal (AKA emotionally-based school avoidance)
- truancy - absence without good reason or permission
- school withdrawal - absence motivated, initiated or condoned by parents
school refusal/EBSA
- reduced attendance or attending with significant reluctance e.g. a spectrum (Kearney, 2006)
- emotional distress connected with learning or social factors
EBSA not just meaning not attending school - anna freud centre
further reading
- not going to classroom
- not staying in class
- not attending some lessons
- avoiding some lessons
linking EBSA to mental health
- associated with emotional regulation problems, negative thinking, low self-efficacy, and somatic complains (Ingul et al., 2019)
- anxiety is evoked by going to school (Thambirajah et al., 2008)
- perhaps: if children didn’t feel anxious, they would go to school?
linking truancy to mental health
- child is absent ‘without good reason’ (Havik & Ingul, 2021)
- associated with disaffection & externalising beh
- could potentially be quite disruptive in lessons
using flooding to reduce non-attendance
make child come to school, see it isn’t that bad, ethical issues in making child come into school for 8 hours in a really distressing situation for them.
Tends not to work as overwhelming and tends to make it worse
using systematic desensitisation to reduce non-attendance
build up time in school step by step, phased reintegration to school, more success. Stand at gates –> meet key adults –> reception –> areas that are safe…
manipulating reinforcement factors to reduce non-attendance
make school a positive experience (do fun stuff, rewards), but also reduced positive experiences at home (e.g. limit access to video games during school hours), quite a bit of success
developing coping through behaviourist ideas
non-attendance
- gulliford & miller (2023)
- CC: flooding, systematic desensitisation
- OC: manipulating reinforcement factors
- small scale studies & professional experience provides evidence for effectiveness
resolving anxiety through psychotherapy
- addressing the anxiety, primarily, through mental health services
- individual psychotherapy - slow & not supportive of a rapid return
- if low attendance in school, the likelihood of getting the child to the therapy regularly is also quite low
- family therapy has mixed ev for anxiety disorders generally (Carr, 2009)
CBT for non-attendance
- how has the child’s experiences shaped their thoughts, feelings and beh toward school? - Heyne et al. (2005)
- combining cog restructuring (thinking differently) & coping skills
- widely accepted as a helpful tool - King & Bernstein (2001)
- anxiety in terms of anxious thinking (internal feelings) body sensations which lead to beh (in this case avoiding school)
- teaching them to regulate physiological responses to anxiety
issues with CBT for non-attendance
- high rates of persistent anxiety after psychotherapy - will still feel anxious, CBT is a tool for managing the distress
- ~60% of children show little improvement in attendance - not just the distress
- outcomes seem stronger with younger children
4 functions of non-attendance
kearney & silverman (1990)
- avoidance of negative affect
- escape from social and/or evaluative situation
- pursuit of attention, or reduction of separation anxiety
- pursuit of tangible reinforcement
these are the textbook explanations for kearney & silverman’s four functions
how do we account for complexity?
non-attendance
- school refusal “is produced by many contributing factors rather than a single cause” - Knage (2021)
- ecological approaches consider the interaction between the child & factors in their envs
- using functional formulations to guide intervention
systematic integrated cognitive approach to non-attendance
havik & ingul (2021)
- interaction between the child’s personal qualities & appraisal of stressors in the environment
- ev that some personal factors raise vulnerability e.g. neurodivergence
- activation of new coping strategies when stress outweighs coping resources
- for some children, coping might mean avoidance of school - even when school isn’t the source of stress
- through school avoidance, risk of school alienation might rise
ecology of school refusal
- child, school, home interplaying factors
- need to consider that child develops within multiple systems
- bioecologicalmodel of development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007)
- push and pull factors - tipping point
ingul et al. (2019), melvin et al. (2019)
bioecological model of development
bronfenbrenner & morris (2007)
dev = child + process + context
school factors impacting school refusal
- school ‘climate’ associated w/ SR (Brewer-Borghuis et al., 2019)
- order, safety and discipline
- academic outcomes
- social relationships
- supportive school facilities
- school connectedness
order, safety and discipline
impact on school refusal
- schools that lack psychological and physical safety (Havik et al., 2014)
- bullying and disruption: being grouped with troubled or disaffected pupils (Lauchlan, 2003)
- monitoring of unstructured areas
link to bullying and behaviour management lecture
academic outcomes
impact on school refusal
- academic difficulties or anxiety about academic performance
- lack of attuned academic support leading to stress
- academic pressures can make the school feel psychologically unsafe
link to instructional psychology lecture
social relationships
impact on school refusal
- frequency and quality of peer contact - links to resilience
- formal, impersonal or hostile teachers (Lauclan, 2003) - need to find a good balance
supportive school facilities
impact on school refusal
- limited research
- school size, layout and levels of social and sensory stimulation (Archer et al., 2003; Havik et al., 2004)
school connectedness
impact on school refusal
a sense of adults in schools appreciating the child or believing in them (Nuttall & Woods, 2013)
link to mental health lecture
what did the textbook say on school-focused interventions
further reading
- a positive school climate can positively correlate with attainment and outcome for students (Tomaszewski et al., 2020)
- educational adaptations may include off-site alternative educational provision (Brouwer-Borghuis et al., 2019)
- the intensity and cost of such programmes, in terms of human resources, should not be overlooked, and the responsibilities upon school staff can be considerable
family factors impacting non-attendance
- parents often describe feeling blamed (Lissack & Boyle, 2022) - can lead to low supportive or punitive responses
- lots of potential factors but mixed ev: parental mental health and self-efficacy; unhealthy or problematic family functioning; traumatic experiences; older parents; being youngest of several siblings
- parental mental health, poor family functioning and overprotection seem to have strongest evidence as contributory factors
textbook on family interventions
further reading
- mixed evidence (Heyne, 2022)
- often address the contingencies (e.g. rewards) for non-attendance
- problem-solve with their child
risk factors of non-attendance
leduc et al. (2022)
- school factors
- family factors
- personal factors
- interaction of all of them
personal factors impacting non-attendance
leduc et al. (2022)
- age (especially seen at 5/6, 11/12 and 13/14)
- fear of failure or poor self-confidencce
- developmental diffs, especially if unidentified or unsupported
- trauma
- poor emotional skills
responding to school refusal: ecological approaches
- multi-systemic intervention
- turning things around: the case for preventive approaches
multi-systemic intervention
- five-factor model: the child, family, peer group, school, and community (Kearney, 2008)
- compatible with other approaches, especially functional assessment and cognitive-behavioural approaches
- but not without challenge
the case for preventive approaches
- school improvement and dev work
- reactionary support is expensive and labour intensive (Chu et al., 2019; Ingul et al., 2019)
alternative education provisions
- when attempts at reintegration have failed
- often derived from school climate and SR experiences
- supportive, small-scale studies (Brewer-Borghuis et al., 2019): calm envs, low threat schoolwork, supporting positive interactions, gradual return to mainstream
outcomes for YP who display EBSA
west sussex council
further reading
- poor academic attainment
- reduced social opportunities
- limited employment opportunities
- poor adult mental health
textbook on consequences of non-attendance
further reading
- lowered learning and attainment –> potential for reduced career options (Elliot & Place, 2019)
- risk factor for self-harm and other behaviours associated with adolescence e.g. risky sexual behaviours or substance use (Kearney, 2008)
- increased risk of marital, occupational and economic difficulties, anxiety disorders, depression, alcoholism and antisocial behaviour (Kearney et al., 2019)
barriers leading to EBSA often related to
not fine in school CIC
further reading
- unmet SEND
- physical or mental illness
- bullying & assault
- trauma
- excessive academic pressure, overly strict behaviour policies
- a missing sense of belonging
- irrelevant curriculum
