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What is Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)?

Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) is an umbrella term used to describe when a child or young person struggles with attending school, or aspects of school, due to emotional distress, anxiety, or fear. Areas of difficulties that may affect EBSA include:

  • mental health difficulties e.g. anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety, low mood and obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • social difficulties e.g. bullying, isolation
  • factors in the home/community
  • sensory overload or
  • physical and/or health issues
  • motivational issues (which may relate to mental health).

Children and young people who are described as experiencing EBSA often have prolonged absences from school which usually increase over time. If patterns of EBSA are recognised early, the child or young person may be attending school but avoiding particular people or lessons. Typically, it takes children and young people more effort and time to re-integrate into school when they have had longer periods of time away from the school community. However much of this depends on the nature of support given to children and their families once the child has been recognised as having difficulties relating to EBSA.

This toolkit has been designed to help identify underlying reasons for children and young people’s experiences of emotionally-based school avoidance, and to outline the type of support that is required – putting the child or young person at the centre of any decision -making. The toolkit is also designed to be used as part of a collaborative approach between the child or young person, their parents/carers, school/setting staff, and other external professionals involved.

Whilst we are referring to this as the EBSA toolkit (see EBSA Overview for terminology rationale), we also appreciate that there are differing views on how best to refer to these presenting needs and that people may therefore use different terminology depending on what feels most comfortable to them (e.g., school-based anxiety, emotionally-based non-attendance etc.). However, it is widely acknowledged that use of the term ‘school refusal’ is an unhelpful way to conceptualise the presenting need and should be avoided. This toolkit can be used in the same way, irrespective of how the needs have been labelled.

The EBSA Toolkit Flowchart takes you through what to do once concerns are first raised and covers the following stages:

  • Exploring additional areas of need alongside the EBSA
  • Completing a whole school audit and training
  • Gathering child/young person’s views
  • Working with parents/carers
  • Planning a gradual return and re-integration
  • Reviewing and problem-solving

At each stage where applicable, there are either weblinks links to external resources (which appear as blue and underlined text), or a list of guidance documents and tools included as part of the toolkit (which appear as green and bold text). To access the weblink, simply click on the blue text. All of the documents in green have been organised into three categories which correspond with the relevant stage of the flowchart – Gathering CYP’s Views, Working with Parents/Carers, and Gradual Return/Re-integration Planning. 

On the following pages you will find resources to support 

  • Gathering children and young people's views
  • Working with Parents/Carers 
  • Gradual Return/Re-integration Plan