Wiltshire parents encouraged to reach out for help with school anxiety
More children are missing school because of anxiety
We've been told more children in Wiltshire are struggling with the transition back to school because of anxiety.
Parents of children having difficulties readjusting to school life are being encouraged to reach out to Wiltshire Council for support.
The rise in anxiety amongst children is thought by many to be a legacy of the COVID pandemic.
Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills, Cllr Nabil Najjar, told Greatest Hits Radio that it's created a lot of pressure on young people.
"When you take a child in their formative years out of the social environment for six months to a year and then expect them to reintegrate as they would normally is that they're coming back from the summer holiday. It doesn't work like that.
"And then having to catch up on lost learning, having to catch up on those years where perhaps you would be building social skills as well as academic foundations. I think that creates a lot of pressure for young people," he said.
He added that the prospect of returning to school shouldn't be a daunting one for young people as it's designed to be positive, fun and engaging.
But Cllr Najjar said that parents can speak to the council's Education Welfare service, with staff ready to ease the transition troubles.
He told us it's not an uncommon issue and there are also professionals within the school environment who can help too.
And while the right approach for each individual will be different, Cllr Najjar encouraged early intervention before it becomes a bigger problem.
He said: "We're here to engage we're here to listen and we're here to try and help. So there is nothing lost from reaching out.
"It's a service that's designed to help. It's not designed to lecture or to preach to people and we try to make it as inclusive and as easy to access as possible."