What language should we use when talking about school absence?

“The naming is the key problem. Kids aren’t AVOIDING school, they are struggling with something and the result is they can’t face it. The goal of all the documentation seems to focus on attendance. If the child attends then everyone is happy. There needs to be more focus on understanding the problem, more focus on listening to the child, and the parent.”

We know that understanding around school absence has increased over time and this is reflected in the evolving language terms used by professionals:

Playing truant

Suggests defiance and a choice made by the pupil with the motivation of having more fun away from school. This may also include young people who are in school but missing lessons (spending time on the corridors, in the toilets etc).

School refusal

Still framed as a choice. Onus placed on the pupil and family causing fear, guilt and shame. In younger children, this may be described as separation anxiety.

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

A more compassionate approach for some young people, with a preliminary focus on anxiety (‘school phobia’). Young people told us they dislike the term ‘school avoidance’ because it puts the onus on them, when the majority of those struggling report that it’s the environment that makes attending school difficult.

Barriers to Education

A compassionate and proactive approach that is for ALL young people. It recognises that declining attendance is the result of barriers impacting upon young people; barriers that often exist long before attendance is affected.

This encompasses:

Young people who may internalise their distress, meaning their difficulties initially go unnoticed (fawning/masking or freeze response).

Young people who externalise their distress, who may be at risk of suspension and exclusion with little exploration of the underlying reasons behind this behaviour (fight or flight responses).

Young people who become disengaged from learning.

Why are we called barriers to education?

Education is more important than attendance. When young people are anxious or stressed they can’t focus or process information effectively, so attendance at school doesn’t necessarily equate to an education. Many young people reported how, even when they were able to get into school to receive their attendance mark, they were too anxious to actually attend classes and spent time alone in corridors; they weren’t able to engage in learning at school, but this was not reflected through their attendance percentage.

For these reasons ‘Barriers to Education’ was the young people’s preferred term.