Anna O'Neill & Lauren Stanley

BBC News, London 30th January 2024

The number of pupils who refuse to go to school is growing as anxiety around school attendance increases.

At Konstam House, the Royal Free Hospital Children's School's new unit for pupils unable or unwilling to attend school, head teacher Alex Yates says he prefers the term "emotionally based school avoidance" - or EBSA - rather than "school refusal", as it is sometimes known.

"The children are trying to solve a problem, and the problem is that they can't manage in a mainstream setting," he said.

The Royal Free Hospital Children's School has officially opened a new site at the historic Konstam building to support more young people who are struggling to attend mainstream school.

On Friday (20 October), the new site in Highgate was officially opened by the school’s former higher level teaching assistant turned actress Melissa Johns, alongside staff, students, parents and carers, teachers, governors and local councillors.

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In comparison to previously favoured terms such as ‘school refuser’, EBSA highlights the impact of unmet emotional needs over school non-attendance which then informs the intervention offered for students struggling to attend school. Supporting the psychological needs of young people with attendance difficulties is therefore crucial to create change. The LinkEdUp programme, designed and delivered by the Royal Free Hospital School and Camden’s Educational Psychology Service, aims to re-engage young people with school by supporting students, families and school staff to implement a phased return to school. This talk will outline the nature of the initial 2 week re-engagement programme and follow up support offered to schools and families over two terms. Early evaluation data suggests that the LinkEdUp programme has had a positive impact on student attendance and engagement with learning: further impact data will also be discussed.

The last 18 months have been particularly hard for young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Young people and their families in need of urgent help with their mental health can get free 24/7 support from trained NHS professionals by telephone.

The NHS has set up free telephone lines across London for young people in distress, open all day, every day, and staffed by trained mental health professionals. They can provide immediate support, or refer people to other sources of help if needed.