Most teachers do not know how to support pupils with emotionally based school avoidance, according to a new poll.
Senior leaders warned that ministers have not made enough effort to find out what the root causes are of deeply ingrained absence, despite attendance being one of their main policy issues.
EBSA is when a child or young person is unable to attend or function in school because of emotional reasons, but it does not feature as a specific category in attendance data.
The latest Department for Education (DfE) attendance data shows that the proportion of students missing half or more of their lessons – classed as “severe absence” – was at record levels high last year.
It feels like a really concerted effort to tackle the root causes of deeply engrained absence is missing
Although overall absence and persistent absence – pupils who miss 10% or more of sessions – in schools are declining, severe absence is increasing. In 2024-25 the proportion of severely absent students was 2.39%, up from 2.3% the year before.
A Teacher Tapp poll of more than 9,000 teachers for TES, reveals that in both primary and secondary phases more than 50% of respondents did not feel able to support EBSA.
And almost one in ten did know what EBSA was.
Attendance drive
There are fears that the government’s drive to improve attendance was not addressing the issues for a group of young people who are unable to attend, and it may even be making the situation worse.
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the head teacher union, NAHT, said: “The policy focus from government has been on improving attendance figures.
“However, policies like increasing parental fines for unauthorised absence and introducing AI-generated attendance targets do not by themselves address the issues which keep children out of school long-term.
“Attendance mentors in some areas may help, and initiatives including free breakfast clubs and a register of children not in school are also welcome, but it feels like a really concerted effort to tackle the root causes of deeply engrained absence is missing.”
Ms Hannafin highlighted that a rise in severe absence last year was fuelled by increased non-attendance among pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
“While we hope the government’s SEND reforms will be backed by the funding needed to help ensure schools are more consistently equipped to provide all the support pupils need, more targeted support is also needed for children with other issues deterring attendance, from mental health issues to challenges at home,” she said.
Ms Hannafin added that “much more investment” is needed to improve the availability of specialist support from health and social care professionals for schools.
Impossibly tight budgets
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The government’s drive to improve school attendance is well intentioned, but it sometimes seems as though there is a failure to recognise that schools are already doing everything they can, and that the key to this challenge lies in providing schools and families with the support they need to address the underlying causes of absence.
“In particular, it is very clear that emotionally based school avoidance is a major issue. This is reflected in the DfE’s own data which shows that, after illness, anxiety and mental health problems were the second most common reason given for absence.”
Mr Di’Iasio said schools are trying to provide support “within the context of impossibly tight budgets”.
He added: “It can also be extremely difficult to access the specialist mental health care that is needed for children who are suffering the most acute and complex problems.
“Schools need not only the resources, staffing and time necessary to address these issues, but also the capacity in health services to provide the right support – enabling children experiencing anxiety or mental health challenges to re-engage with learning and thrive in school.”
Better support needed
Donna Wiggett, general secretary of the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP), said: “Most schools and teachers want to do the right thing, but they are not always supported or resourced to respond as effectively as they would like.
“EBSA is rarely driven by a single issue; it often reflects a combination of factors such as anxiety, sensory needs and pressures within the school environment. Many of these can be identified early – but only where staff have the time, training and access to specialist advice.
“This is where [educational psychologists] can make a real difference to support schools to spot early signs, understand underlying causes and put the right support in place before difficulties escalate. This involves focusing not just on attendance, but on helping children to feel safe, included and able to engage with the wider environment.”
