In June and July, Knowsley’s Educational Psychology service asked for the views of children, young people and their parent / carers on any worries or issues which could prevent them from attending school, known as Emotional Barriers to School Attendance (EBSA).
Over 150 responses were received which highlighted a number of key themes. From child and young person’s perspective, the majority (69%) of responses shared that tiredness was impacting on school attendance, followed by being in school all day and school work was hard. School environments being busy and noisy also had an impact on school attendance as well as feeling worried or anxious about attending school. Some children and young people also shared that difficulties with confidence, self-esteem, and negative peer experiences can make school feel less safe.
Children and young people stated that having supportive adults, positive friends, calm spaces, taking a break, support with feelings, fun and engaging learning and feeling included would help them.
Over half of the responses from parents and carers highlighted that school attendance was impacting on their family life and that school attendance struggles were a big concern to them. Similar to the views of children and young people, parents and carers shared that children are more likely to feel safe when they are with trusted adults who know and understand them, there is clear communication about expectations, there are predictable routines, calm spaces, emotional support available and children and young people are listened to.
Cllr Sean Donnelly, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said “Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views with us. It’s really important that the views of children, young people and their parents and carers are gathered in order for us to effectively address school attendance issues which are aligned to our residents’ needs.
“We want every child to have the very best start in life, including throughout their education journey, and we know the benefits of attending school regularly has on their future development.
“Some consistent themes have been identified from our survey and our Educational Psychology Service will now work with our schools to raise awareness of the issues identified, ensuring that any barriers and issues are identified at an early stage and strengthen the support and offer available.”
Further information and regular updates about EBSA can be found here.