What happens when a child experiencing EBSNA is too anxious to attend school, but still has a right to learn?
Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) is one of the most complex challenges facing schools and local authorities.
It rarely has a simple cause, and it rarely has a simple solution.
In the 25 years I spent working in London secondary schools, I met many pupils whose absence was not defiance, but distress; EBSNA remind us that the first leadership decision is to understand what makes school feel impossible.
Why does EBSNA create so much pressure?
For schools, the pressure created by EBSNA is immediate. Attendance data, safeguarding concerns, curriculum access, parental communication, SEND needs and limited capacity all collide.
For the child, school may no longer feel possible, and this is when specialist support may help.
For schools, this overlaps with wider questions about alternative provision for vulnerable students, SEND audit and inclusion planning, and early intervention for pupils at risk of disengagement.
This debate is also timely.
I’ve written before about persistent absence post-pandemic. emerging school attendance patterns, and how schools can reduce persistent absenteeism.
The Department for Education has recently set out further SEND reform plans, with a renewed emphasis on earlier support, inclusion and helping schools meet a wider range of pupil needs. Bridget Phillipson has also spoken publicly about the importance of getting inclusion right for children with SEND.
What support do schools need?
Young Giants Education works with schools and local authorities to provide reintegration solutions, such as EBSNA Link Workers and Embedded AP, for children and young people with SEND and complex needs.
Their work focuses on family collaboration, re-engagement, inclusion and reintegration back into school.
Young Giants never refuse a referral, no matter how complex the case may be. Their model is designed for pupils who may have already experienced disrupted education, low attendance, unmet needs or difficulty engaging with previous support.
In these cases, Young Giants’ flexible and carefully monitored approach may help reduce pressure on schools while keeping the child connected to education. The aim is to help pupils rebuild trust, confidence, routine and learning habits.
“It is money well spent; Mia has attended more school in the last two months than she has in the last two years. Thanks to all of you!”
(Feedback provided to Young Giants by a social worker operating in a London borough.)
What should school leaders consider?
For school leaders and SENCOs, the value in working with Young Giants is not only in reducing EBSNA and increasing attendance levels. It is also in finding a partner who understands SEND inclusion, attendance barriers and the need to work carefully with parents, schools and local authorities.
Of course, schools will rightly ask questions about budget, existing providers and whether a new service can be trusted. Those are fair questions, but where a pupil is missing education, or where reintegration feels stuck, doing nothing can also carry a cost.
How can schools reduce EBSNA?
- Reducing EBSNA in schools requires expertise, time and relationship-building.
- For some pupils dealing with EBSNA, specialist intervention can offer the first step back towards learning.
- Young Giants are an additional option for schools and local authorities looking to strengthen their approach to reducing EBSNA and improving SEND inclusion.
Young Giants Education works exclusively with schools and local authorities to support pupils with SEND, EBSNA and complex attendance needs through specialist interventions and alternative provision.
Learn more and visit Young Giants Education for schools.
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