The understanding that young people are at their best when we prioritise their wellbeing.
It is widely acknowledged that for young people to thrive in all aspects of life, including at school, we must first consider and prioritise their wellbeing. Without this, young people are unable to have the cognitive resources needed to engage optimally in their learning. The Department for Education recognises that wellbeing underpins children’s abilities to “develop, attend school, engage in learning, [and] fulfil their potential” (Promoting and Supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and Colleges, 2021).
There have been growing concerns over the general wellbeing of young people in the UK and with good reason. Following the COVID pandemic, the UK has seen a crisis in the cost of living, an increase in homelessness, funding cuts to all major public services and increasing waiting lists for accessing mental health services. NHS survey data (Mental health of children and young people in England, 2023) suggests that as many as 1 in 5 young people have a probable mental health condition. Furthermore, The Good Childhood Report 2024 (The Children’s Society, 2024) measured children and young people’s subjective wellbeing in the UK and found that young people’s happiness with their life as a whole has significantly decreased. Across the 10 key life areas that were examined, children and young people, were on average, most happy with their family and were most unhappy at school.
Schools are working incredibly hard to ensure that each and every young person feels the necessary safety within their setting to learn and thrive, often having dedicated staff teams who provide pastoral and mental health support. There are accounts given of individual teachers and professionals going over and above their duties, to make life changing differences to young people through their care, understanding and support. There is however a growing frustration in relation to a number of constraints that schools experience, such as a lack of funding and resources, large class sizes, a rigid curriculum, test data driven performance and a lack of staff support. These constraints and their impact on teaching staff, often make it challenging to meet the needs of a diverse class group.
The result of increasing demands, pressure and workload on educators is also evident through measures of Teacher Wellbeing and staff retention. The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024 (Education Support, 2024) reports that 78% of all staff are stressed, 77% experienced physical, psychological or behavioural symptoms due to their work and 50% consider their organisation’s culture to have a negative effect on staff’s mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the NASUWT Wellbeing at Work Survey 2024 found that 86% of teachers report that their job has adversely impacted their mental health in the last 12 months and 70% disagree/strongly disagree that government policies support schools to respond to mental health and wellbeing issues that affect teachers. It is therefore no surprise that teachers are leaving the profession at alarmingly high rates:
There is an underlying societal belief, backed up by government rhetoric, that school is always the best place to be and the only route to positive outcomes. This creates a strong focus on school attendance. To try and achieve full attendance there has been:
In the case of school non-attendance, young people are perceived to be making an irrational choice to avoid school based on irrational anxiety (termed Emotionally Based School Avoidance or EBSA) or to refuse school based on an inherent lack of motivation to learn (assuming there is a choice involved in attendance and that punishment encourages a ‘better’ choice).
However, through our work at Barriers to Education, we have discovered 3 key messages:
We will explore these 3 key messages in more detail below:
“Let’s forget about the pupils and without them school was ok. Now add the pupils and school is hell.”
“Mainstream is no good for me, I’m not learning anything, I can barely attend.
It’s not fair, it upsets me and stresses me out that I’m missing my education.”
When adjustments are made within the environment, young people describe how school has become accessible for them as a result, enabling their attendance. Currently this tends to be as a result of the positive impact that individual members of teaching staff have:
“In secondary school, my biology teacher helped me get back into my classes when I couldn’t attend and would cater to my needs without question, he also wouldn’t blame me for needing these changes.”
“My Head of year in my final year and my Drama teacher through GCSEs were extremely helpful, they both gave support where it was needed and had an understanding of how I felt, my Drama teacher provided me with a safe space to go to when I was not doing great and my Head of Year always was available to chat and listen.”
Young people may not attend school for a wide variety of reasons including caring for a parent or siblings, illness, poverty or other adverse home circumstances (Sonuga-Barke & Fearon, 2021). Heyne et al., (2024) emphasises the need to respond to wider systemic issues beyond the young person and family, such as inequality, school structures and how learning is delivered.
Attendance needs are also not static and individual patterns of non-attendance may shift over time (Finning et al., 2019).
Being curious ensures that we can identify barriers and having a compassionate approach to these barriers means that we can effectively remove them.
I woke myself up
Because we ain’t got an alarm clock
Dug in the dirty clothes basket,
Cause ain’t nobody washed my uniform
Brushed my hair and teeth in the dark,
Cause the lights ain’t on
Even got my baby sister ready,
Cause my mama wasn’t home.
Got us both to school on time,
To eat us a good breakfast.
Then when I got to class the teacher fussed
Cause I ain’t got no pencil.
“You can’t make someone feel less pressured and anxious using pressure and anxiety.”
There are accounts given by young people describing feelings of shame around their struggles to attend, with beliefs like “other people find it easy so why can’t I?”. They may also witness the emotional impact and negative consequences on their family which can exacerbate these feelings.
Common worries for young people:
They are already highly stressed about missing school, falling behind on learning and lost time with friends without these additional stressors.
When we recognise the impact of an increase in pressure, it becomes clear that punitive measures are often not the most appropriate approach to tackle school attendance.
While these measures are suggested and used with the best of intentions; and there is a unified goal in wanting what is best for young people, many people are unaware of the role that punitive measures can play in longer lasting negative impacts affecting young people and their families.
Below is some feedback shared by families:
“School focus on attendance over everything else was exhausting. Threatening action over non attendance was nonsense as we couldn’t get our child into school whatever they threatened.”
In addition to hearing from families, research highlights that punitive measures for low school attendance, such as suspensions and fines, are ineffective and can cause further disengagement (Kearney & Graczyk, 2022). For students with long-term health conditions, punitive policies can feel like punishment for circumstances beyond their control, creating a sense of exclusion and detachment from school (Williams & Thomas, 2024). Additionally, research from Hunt (2024) shows that increasing fines fails to address broader socio-economic issues that impact on attendance, which can include poverty and mental health challenges.
Instead, restorative approaches such as building relationships, increasing a sense of belonging, and addressing barriers are more effective (Reid, 2021). Large-scale UK data also shows that supportive, relationship-based strategies improve attendance while punitive measures were shown to be largely ineffective (ImpactEd, 2024).
It is understandable that there is a drive to encourage young people back into school as soon as possible when this is considered to be the best place for them and a necessary route to thriving. There is a presumption that as soon as the young person has returned to school, their wellbeing will follow. This idea is sometimes based on a fear that the longer they avoid school, the greater their anxiety around it will become.
Unfortunately, pushing young people back into school as quickly as possible can actually increase longer term problems with attendance, rather than reduce them. There are a number of reasons for this including:
“We experienced a teacher who was off “sick” with mental health challenges for half the school year, who was supported, nurtured, and understood. Whereas our child in the same situation was treated as refusing, us as bad parents and that we should do “whatever it took” to get him in – presumably including physical force.”
For many young people the need for reduced demands during recovery from poor mental health requires consideration. Within the context of adult employment, there is legislation to ensure that adults who experience periods of poor mental health can have time off work when this is recommended by their general practitioner (GP). It is recognised that this is beneficial to their recovery and that their general wellbeing needs to come first. In contrast to this, for young people who attend a school pressure and demands can be increased at this time. They can receive the message that if they do not continue to attend school everyday, there will be long lasting negative impacts, not just for themselves but for their families. In this way, it could be argued that their attendance at school is prioritised over their current wellbeing.
When acknowledging the lived experiences of young people and their families, it becomes clear that a lack of motivation and/or commitment is not what is driving the high number of school absences. Instead, what becomes obvious is that, at every level, people are struggling and want to do well.
When considering how to make it possible for people to be well and therefore capable of doing well, Self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2017) can provide some helpful answers. SDT outlines how all human beings have an innate motivation to learn, develop and grow. This requires three basic psychological needs, without which wellbeing and motivation will be lost:
Extensive SDT research has shown that when we experience environments that are not compatible with these needs, such as those with highly authoritarian and/or competitive frameworks, we are much more likely to become “self-focused, defensive, amotivated, aggressive, and antisocial” (Deci & Ryan, 2017). Essentially, if our need for autonomy, competence and relatedness are not met, we may struggle.
Applying this knowledge to the issue of declining wellbeing in both teachers and young people in our schools helps us to plan for proactive and sustainable solutions.
When young people are struggling; to learn, to meet expectations, or to attend school, it is recognised that they have an innate motivation to do well, but that there are barriers that they are experiencing. This recognition allows a shift from a solely ‘within child’ view to one that is more holistic.
The Department for Education has outlined that ‘…In the first instance, all schools are expected to support pupils and parents by working together to address any in-school barriers to attendance’ (Working together to improve school attendance, 2024). It will be important to recognise that these barriers may not always be immediately obvious and take dedicated time and collaborative working to uncover, through the development of trusting and supportive relationships.
Teaching staff are also doing the best that they can to support young people based on their current understanding, skillset, capacity and wellbeing. Through the lens of SDT, a need for a wider focus on enabling staff wellbeing within schools also becomes apparent.
For examples of how this might look in practice, we can look at the growing number of schools that have been established with wellbeing intentionally at the centre of all they do.
Some schools have created dedicated “Specialist Support Spaces” to provide young people with a safe environment and staff who understand their challenges. These spaces vary:
Young people from 6 Greater Manchester schools have reported that having access to a Specialist Support Space has been massively important for them:
“I won’t be judged there”
“It has helped with going back into my lessons”
“Without it I would spend all the time sat in the toilets on my own”
It is clear that Specialist Support Spaces have been massively impactful, however there are some improvements that need implementing whilst increasing the number of these facilities.
To find the best way forward it is immensely helpful to reflect upon what young people share has increased their wellbeing in school:
When consulted, young people also have ideas on how things could be improved:
To put wellbeing first, there is a need for a shift in culture to one which values understanding, care and compassion and moves away from blame and pressure. This is important, primarily for young people and their families but also for those professionals in education, health and social services who have the best interests of the young people that they support at heart but are struggling to navigate the best way forward within the current systems and structures.
Through shifting our focus to centre on wellbeing, rather than just attendance, young people are more likely to be able to regularly and happily attend school settings and experience a sense of belonging. When young people are experiencing mental health concerns they should be afforded the same rights as adults are, having the time and space for recovery as well as access to the right support at the right time.
Moreover, there is a critical need to address the poor wellbeing of teachers in our schools. Stressed teachers who are constantly stretched and in survival mode themselves, will not have the consistent capacity to provide young people with the quality of presence, patience and co-regulatory support that they need.
None of this is possible for schools to do in isolation. When considering the rapidly growing numbers of young people that experience difficulties attending school and the high numbers of teachers leaving the profession, it is helpful to critically examine and reflect upon how well the current structures, systems and cultures underpinning our education system prioritise wellbeing for all.
Children’s Commissioner. (2024). Over a quarter of a million children still waiting for mental health support. https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/blog/over-a-quarter-of-a-million-children-still-waiting-for-mental-health-support
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.
Department for Education. (2021). Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges
Department for Education. (2024a). School workforce in England: November 2023. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
Department for Education. (2024b). Working together to improve school attendance. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance
Education Support. (2024). Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024. Education Support. https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/media/ftwl04cs/twix-2024.pdf
Finning, K., Ford, T., Moore, D. A., & Wolpert, M. (2019). The association between child and adolescent mental health conditions and school attendance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 24(3), 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12322
Heyne, D., King, N., Tonge, B., & Rollings, S. (2024). School refusal: Assessment and intervention strategies (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
Hunt, E. (2024, February 29). EPI comments on new government regulations to improve school attendance. Education Policy Institute. https://epi.org.uk/comments/epi-comments-on-new-government-regulations-to-improve-school-attendance
ImpactEd. (2024). Understanding attendance: Using data to inform practice. ImpactEd. https://www.impactedgroup.uk/research-campaigns-and-resources/understanding-attendance-4e8e8
Kearney, C. A., & Graczyk, P. A. (2022). School attendance and school absenteeism: A primer for the past, present, and future. Frontiers in Education, 7, 1044608. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1044608
McLean, D., Worth, J., & Smith, A. (2024). Teacher labour market in England: Annual report 2024. National Foundation for Educational Research. https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/teacher-labour-market-in-england-annual-report-2024
NASUWT. (2024). Wellbeing at work survey 2024. NASUWT. https://www.nasuwt.org.uk
NHS Digital. (2023). Mental health of children and young people in England 2023: Wave 4 follow-up. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up
Reid, K. (2021). School disciplinary responses to unexcused absences: Best practices and approaches (Doctoral dissertation). University of the Pacific. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3967&context=uop_etds
Ryan, R. M., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2023). Self-determination theory. In R. M. Ryan & M. Vansteenkiste (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of self-determination theory (pp. 3–30). Oxford University Press. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-65872-001
Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., & Fearon, P. (2021). Annotation: Long-term impact of COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(8), 835–841. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13537
The Children’s Society. (2024). The good childhood report 2024. The Children’s Society. https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/professionals/resources/good-childhood-report-2024
Williams, K., & Thomas, L. (2024). Qualitative study examining attendance for secondary school students with long-term physical health conditions. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 49(3), 321–336. https://continuityineducation.org/articles/10.5334/cie.111
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