Wiltshire Council concerned about increased Emotional Based School Avoidance
School absence levels are still above pre-pandemic levels
Wiltshire Council have told us that they’re growing increasingly concerned about Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) in the county.
It’s a concern across the nation, with children’s charity, Action for Children, saying that an advice article for parents and cares on school anxiety being visited 57,000 times in the year to March 2023.
Leader of Wiltshire Council, Cllr Richard Clewer, said that action is being taken to reduce absences from school, saying ‘attendance is vital for children’s wellbeing and future life choices.’
He said: “Being in school not only provides children with an education to build for their futures, but also provides them with a safe environment to develop relationships with their peers, building their emotional and social wellbeing.”
According to the latest Department of Education stats, absence rates in Wiltshire are still higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In the Autumn and Spring terms of the last academic year, overall absence rates were 7%.
Children are deemed 'persistently absent' if they miss 10% of their schooling.
What is ESBA? And how are the council tackling it?
ESBA refers to severe difficulties attending schools as a result of emotional or psychological factors, and while there’s no single cause, it’s often driven by anxiety.
To help tackle the issue, Wiltshire Educational Psychology Service have set up a collection of resources to support families, young people and their schools and settings where attendance is a severe difficulty.
The resources, which are available through the Wiltshire Local Officer website and the Right Choice platform, include videos and guidance documents which aim to help people understand the barrier that can affect class attendance, while supporting them to make plans that help young people re-engage with education.
We’ve also been told that the council’s Family and Community Learning team have put together a short online course for parents and carers.
The course covers EBSA and strategies to use if children are at crisis point, as well as reasonable adjustments that can be made in the school setting to support with good attendance.
Parents and cares can request a place on the course or find out more information here.
“We would encourage any parent of a child who is anxious about school or unable to go to school, to speak to their school in the first instance who can help with strategies to make attendance more manageable and advise on the support available,” said Cllr Clewer.