Emotionally Based School Avoidance in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Neurodiversity, Agency and Belonging in School

Abstract

Lockdowns at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to extended school closures globally, and in many countries school attendance has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. In England, education leaders have expressed concern both about increased anxiety among pupils and chronic absenteeism post-pandemic, against a backdrop of over a decade of increasing mental health need among children and young people. This article presents a narrative review with the aims of (a) conceptualising emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), and (b) identifying strategies for supporting children and young people experiencing psychological barriers to attending school. The underlying reasons for school being experienced as a hostile environment by a minority of pupils are explored, with research findings specifically relating to the school experiences of neurodivergent pupils in mainstream settings included as an illustrative example. The psychological constructs of belongingness and agency are discussed as potential mechanisms of change. Finally, psychologically informed strategies to address EBSA are reviewed, drawing on the framework of multiple systems of support. To reduce absenteeism in pupils experiencing EBSA, and thus avoid exacerbating educational inequalities in disadvantaged groups, it is essential to understand psychological barriers to school attendance and to work collaboratively and compassionately with pupils and families towards solutions.

The relationship between ‘school readiness’ and later persistent absenteeism

“…While the present findings provide insight into how data might be used to identify children at risk of absenteeism, the issues around why children become disengaged from the school environment (leading to increased absence) are complex and multifaceted [ 42 , 43 ]. For example, qualitative work has highlighted a wide array of reasons why pupils may not attend school every day, such as the cost-of-living crisis and poverty issues, the mental health epidemic affecting young people, lack of support (particularly for neurodivergent pupils) and the breakdown of the partnership between the school and families [ 44 , 45 ]. Moreover, many children highlighted the lack of a sense of belonging to school as a key barrier to attending and feeling unsupported as they navigate key transitional periods [ 46 ].…”

“…Moreover, many children highlighted the lack of a sense of belonging to school as a key barrier to attending and feeling unsupported as they navigate key transitional periods [ 46 ]. Thus, much more work and investigation are required to begin to re-engage pupils and their families with the education system, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic [ 45 ]. Corcoran and colleagues have highlighted that absenteeism as a result of mental health issues (often known as ‘emotionally based school non-attendance’) is quite often driven by a poor home–school relationship [ 47 ].…”

Neurodivergent Pupils’ Experiences of School Distress and Attendance Difficulties

“…Although increasing absences were apparent before COVID-19, the pandemic has purportedly exacerbated the issue (Hamilton, 2024). While the current research is situated in the UK, school absence is an issue internationally (Havik & Ingul, 2021;Heyne et al, 2019a).…”

“…The term 'school refusal' is also problematic, as it locates the issue within the child and can lead to blaming the pupil/parent. The issue is also sometimes referred to as emotionally-based school avoidance (Hamilton, 2024). Connolly and colleagues (2023) suggest that 'school distress' is the most appropriate term and this will be used in the current paper.…”