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EVERY MORNING ACROSS this country, hundreds of children wake up filled with dread.
Their school uniforms sit untouched, school bags unpacked; many will have had a restless night, slept little and possibly had vivid nightmares; some will wake to cramps and headaches, their stomachs twisted in anxiety; yet others will feel nauseated, hands clammy, skin scratchy and uncomfortable.
There is an impact on the whole family. Stressed parents may still need to attend work even if their child is not in school. But, despite their parent’s best efforts, these children feel unable to walk through the school gates, to enter a classroom, to open their schoolbooks. This is school avoidance, one of the fastest-growing mental health and education challenges we face today.
CDI’s Online Toolkit to address School Avoidance was developed with colleagues in Tallaght to provide evidence-informed supports to parents and professionals. The Toolkit is one element of our wider ‘Nova Youth Mental Health programme’ which offers multi-level mental health interventions to children and young people in nine schools in Dublin 24. This followed earlier research, which found significant numbers of young people with mild and moderate health issues were not receiving the required supports (McCarthy and Comiskey, 2019), and recognised the need for early intervention in schools.
Research shows that chronic absenteeism has doubled since the pandemic, with mental health struggles, bullying and additional learning needs often at the root. Whilst the pandemic undoubtedly exacerbated some of these dynamics, resulting in some children lacking the capacity to manage social situations, this is not a new phenomenon. It was documented as early as the 1930s.
There has always been a small proportion of children whose school attendance was erratic, unreliable and easily interrupted. We now however have a more sophisticated understanding of school avoidance; there is more research on absenteeism, and we are more discerning in how we interpret children’s behaviour.
When working with children who may be avoiding school, professionals try to avoid terms like ‘school refusal’ or ‘truancy’, as they imply a deliberate decision on the part of the child, whereas ‘school avoidance’ acknowledges the underlying emotional struggles and complex underpinning dynamics which these students face. Indeed, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has recently released guidance for schools in which they provide definitions for the terms ‘reluctant attendance’ and ‘school avoiding behaviour’. The language that we use with children and their families is important, in order to avoid any sense of blame.
So, what causes this level of anxiety about school? Generally, there will be a combination of factors present, impacting the child, family and school levels, the cumulation of these resulting in school avoidance. Identifying risk factors for school avoidance and early indicators of emotional anxiety maximise the chances of effectively enabling the child to re-engage in school, and CDI’s Online Toolkit offers both teachers and parents practical tips on how to do this.
When school avoidance persists over a period of time to the extent that behaviours become embedded, or where underlying factors are complex, schools will often seek the advice and support of outside agencies. Schools are required to report children who miss over 20 school days, after which the school may ask specialist supports to intervene, specifically Tusla’s Educational Support Services (TESS).
Most schools, however, are very proactive in identifying early signs of school avoidance, and will make efforts to encourage and enable their educational participation. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have a right to education, and it is widely accepted that educational participation not only protects children from a range of negative outcomes during their developmental years, but also significantly shapes their likely trajectory as adults.
School is not only where children and young people learn specific subjects and prepare for exams; it’s also where they practice their early social skills, where they learn to negotiate and compromise, and how they come to understand friendship and loyalty. Educational participation is a hugely important aspect of children’s developmental journey, and so early recognition and intervention for those struggling to attend, is vital.
A wide range of organisations work with children who are experiencing difficulty in attending school, but navigating this system (for example, knowing who to contact and when) can pose its own set of challenges for both busy teachers and overwhelmed parents. CDI’s Toolkit and associated links aim to support parents and those working with children and young people to access the right support at the right time. It reminds teachers to ensure that decisions should be agreed with everyone concerned on board (‘nothing about me without me’) and advises parents to ask questions and seek clarity.
The Toolkit explains a graduated approach to intervening. This means encouraging schools to utilise their own resources and expertise before looking for personalised or specialist support. A continuous cycle of activity is recommended, to include assessing needs, planning to meet those needs with all concerned, implementing these plans, reviewing their effectiveness, and adjusting actions as required.
Focusing on the child’s interests and strengths is important, and an incremental return is recommended where absenteeism has been established. For some children, attending once a week for a specific subject or teacher will be an achievement. The Toolkit reminds parents and teachers to build on this and give young people every opportunity for success to build confidence.
The Department of Education has developed a focus on wellbeing in schools, which is a very positive initiative. TESS staff are highly skilled and take their commitment to working in partnership with children and families seriously, whilst organisations such as local youth services and Jigsaw offer important supports. There is a lot of great work happening.
However, many schools are under-resourced, both financially and in terms of staff, with teacher vacancies creating pressures and limiting opportunities to engage in non-classroom responsibilities and extracurriculars. Most teachers do not receive training in additional needs, and there are gaps in their knowledge of local service provision. Schools must be resourced to provide flexible re-engagement plans, and all professionals working in communities must be trained in trauma-informed approaches. Most importantly, we must stop blaming children and families and start supporting them with effective solutions.
The government has recognised the challenge of school avoidance, but recognition alone is not enough. We need urgent investment in targeted interventions — ones we know are effective. Our Toolkit is one step forward, along with the other aspects of our Nova Youth Mental Health programme, and the interventions which partners around the country have developed, but these must be part of a national, cohesive strategy to ensure every child’s right to education is delivered, no matter their challenges.
Educational participation is a crucial component in children’s development. It is vital that we intervene now with evidence-based interventions and dynamic support, to ensure the best possible outcomes, not only for today’s children, but for tomorrows’ society.
Marian Quinn is the CEO of the Childhood Development Initiative (CDI), a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families in Ireland. CDI’s School Avoidance Online Toolkit launches today and is available on www.cdi.ie/schoolavoidancetoolkit.
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Social media age has a lot to answer for. People can’t even answer a phone call anymore because they’re worried they’re not polished/prepared enough for a random phone call. Children get phones to keep in contact with their social group, then when they meet in real life, they spend their time looking at phones instead of talking to each other.
Try, The Light Phone.
@Thesaltyurchin: just looked at a few articles and user reviews, looks good!
@Fiona: Tech needs something (maybe its Ai), they’ve become useless, the promise of efficiency and connectivity as a positive influence on existence has delivered very little apart from creating the richest people out of these lizards. Maybe there’s irony that this type of ‘tech’ will save us from that type… lol
My mothers school avoidance solution involved a wooden spoon .. it worked, I ain’t traumatised, don’t need safe spaces or trigger warnings etc etc todays kids raised in cotton wool, no ‘resilience’ and all the mental health issues ..
@Bri Lye: but here you are all those years later posting about it on the journal….so it was not as insignificant as you say!
@Bri Lye: Your mother beat you with a wooden spoon, so now you think today’s kids should get the same treatment. Sounds like a mental health issue to me.
@Dramafree 2023:
Insignificant wasn’t mentioned in the post.
@Thomas O’Brien: it was definitely implied! They are making light of the violence. Reality is for most children there is a reason for school avoidance. Beating them, albeit common practice at the time, into submission and compliance does not resolve the underlying issue and is not an approach that would be acceptable in 2025….thankfully.
@Dramafree 2023:
No, what was implied was, that the parents were in charge and not the children.
@Thomas O’Brien: ruling through fear of physical violence should not be confused with being in charge. Imagine regardless of what was going on at school the fear of your mother beating you with a small wooden implement was worse. Step back and think about that. And you are a small child with no options.
@Dramafree 2023:
Yeah, just like you trying to intimidate me with your post.
@Thomas O’Brien: no I’m not trying to intimidate you I am just totally perplexed as to why you are trying to normalise violence against children. But I am also busy at work so I won’t be replying again.
@Dramafree 2023:
Busy at work you say. You seem to have a lot of free time or very long breaks so.
Personally if the No Homework idea from President Higgins was implemented then I’d imagine a lot more children would be less nervous going into school . Too much time is spent on school work so the kids are burnt out early and look to school in a negative way . MY personal option .
@@shelly: Maybe if there were fewer/shorter term breaks, the pressure could be spread over a longer period of learning. Kids barely have more than six weeks in school before the next break, so a lot of stuff is squeezed into the active school time.
It always takes a few weeks to get back into the swing of things, so they are just about settled before the routines of school going are uprooted again.
@Athena:
The children need these school breaks.
You would probably have them in school day and night if you had your way.
@Thomas O’Brien: Are you sure it’s not the teachers needing those breaks? If you compare Irish term breaks with other countries you might learn a thing or two. Giving children more time to learn makes sense, nobody can learn well under pressure.
@Athena:
I don’t care about other countries.
Yeah, the teachers might need those breaks.
When the children are off they are still learning, and the parents need to start looking after the children more and help them with their homework and learning.
@Thomas O’Brien: 63 days off school per year in Germany. Approx 170 days in Ireland. You do the maths.
@Athena:
Have you thought about becoming a school teacher, instead of a begrudger.
@Athena: Despite the longer holidays, Ireland has longer tuition hours per annum than most OECD countries.
A crisis exasperated by an unnecessary closure of schools when children were not at risk from covid. Everyone knew that at the time but the idea was that schools would close to protect the other vulnerable sections of society. Everyone would suffer, so that a few wouldn’t. They’ve condemned a generation to social anxiety and a lack of people skills.
@James Groden:
Stop blaming everything on COVID. Most people got through COVID just fine, apart from the poor animals that were bought by stupid people and then abandoned. COVID was almost five years ago, it’s over and done with.
@Thomas O’Brien: Not true. We won’t know how COVID impacted children until the first children born in 2019/2020 reach adulthood. Most kids were denied normal socialisation which is how maturation primarily occurs. A lot of teenagers now are showing arrested development and huge immaturity. That said, school closures were absolutely necessary to contain the virus and prevent adults, including doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers from getting infected.
@tom toss:
The children born in 2019/2020 will have had plenty of attention if they were born into a large family and would have been spoiled by their siblings and parents and would have been getting plenty of socialisation.
Please, this is what we all wanted right? To realise the opportunities and potential in front of us so we can enjoy life, live longer, spend more time with the people we love!?… Lol, society is ‘business’ and we’re livestock, get back in the van.
if the school were looking after the children up to 1800, that would solve the problem of expensive child care.
@Dominic Leleu:
Schools are there to educate children, not babysit them for absentee parents.
Imagine being in school from early morning until 18:00 , by the time the kids got home it would be time for bed. Would you get a grip man.
@Dominic Leleu: Schools are not creches. Mind your own kids.
The bullying issue today is more insipid and destructive than it has ever been. And everybody’s hands are tied in dealing with the problem. We are becoming more like the Anericans everybody. The schools are full of so-called “winners” and “losers” and this is actively encouraged by parents all over the country. Groups of kids who exclude and humiliate other children need to be broken up. That is a requisite but it is never done because the groups who do it have moms who have nothing else to but install themselves in the running of the schools at every level they can. You only have to look at the various WhatsApp groups to see which parents rule the roost.
@Louis Jacob:
This is where the wooden spoon comes in handy.
@Thomas O’Brien: Lol. Indeed.
@Louis Jacob: Just to be clear: I don’t blame the schools or teachers for this. I know how catious they have to be. This is is a systemic problem. People who were never don’t understand what a life sentence it can be.
@Louis Jacob: *never bullied
@Louis Jacob:
Don’t let the bullies get you down.
Most of the ones I knew are dead from drugs because of the path they took in their lives.
Biggest issue is most young people spend most of their life online. They find real life a lot more daunting. Phones and social media are really hurting young people. A large proportion of young people are addicted to their devices.
We don’t let them drink, smoke or vape until they are 18 yet we see it as acceptable to expose them to the worst aspects of algorithms that are taking up their lives. I think social media apps are facilitating a form of mental child abuse.
Their resilience to normal life is decimated by this.
have your say