What is 'school refusal' and what can I do if my child struggles to get to school?
Eight-year-old Frieda was often so distressed she couldn’t make it inside the school gates. (Supplied)
Chances are you’ve heard about or have a child who struggles to attend school.
A growing number of Aussie kids are missing school — for the last decade attendance rates have been dropping according to the national attendance authority, ACARA.
One of the reasons experts say some kids are not going is “school refusal”. It’s a term that refers to kids who experience emotional distress around school.
Many experts and families argue the more accurate term is “school can’t”, as it’s not a deliberate choice by the child.
The issue — the subject of this week’s Four Corners, ‘The Kids Who Can’t’ — has largely been a hidden struggle for families. But last year a Senate inquiry brought new attention and some recommendations.
Desperate parents though, are still searching for answers.
There’s no easy solution, and every kid’s situation is different, but here are some resources and options that might help you.
What is school refusal and who is at risk?
The reasons children struggle to attend school can be complex. Research suggests that risk factors can include psychological problems, socio-economic disadvantage and school environment problems like bullying.
While school refusal can be caused by problems at home or school, it’s often associated with autism, ADHD and anxiety disorders.
Some of the ways experts and education departments say it can present are:
- Reluctance to get up on school mornings
- Tantrums or outbursts
- Repeated pleas to go home
- Frequent lateness or skipping of school
- Frequent requests to go to the sick bay
- Threats to harm themselves
Fundamentally it’s where a child has trouble attending or remaining at school due to varying underlying stressors.
Sydney mum Alice says her eight-year-old daughter Frieda, who is autistic, struggles to get to school full-time.
“Some days we couldn’t even get out of the house. Some days we would get as far as the footpath and then she couldn’t go in … then sometimes [she’d] just run away,” she says.
Experts say school refusal can impact anyone, but certain groups are more at risk.
“They may be autistic, they may have learning difficulties, ADHD. They may have anxiety or some other mood disorder,” says Lisa McKay-Brown, an education researcher at the University of Melbourne.
Isn’t it just wagging?
No.
Truancy involves children who typically conceal their absence from their parents and may show antisocial behaviours.
School refusal, on the other hand, is when parents know about their child’s absence from school and have tried to get them to attend. The attendance issue is often due to distress.
What can my child’s current school do?
Your child’s school should be your first point of contact to seek help.
This may mean collaborating with the school to come up with any adjustments to assist your child and make them feel safe. As education is a state-run system – schools can advise what support options are available in your area.
For example:
In New South Wales, extra support may be sought by your child’s school. They may apply for integration funding support (IFS) to fund a teaching and support officer for your child or other support if that is additionally required.
Your school may also explore the option of a transfer to a school for specific purposes (SSPs) that provide targeted and specialist programs. As part of the referral process, it may be required that students have a confirmed disability that meets the department’s disability criteria.
Are there any government programs focusing on school refusers?
Each state has different resources available for families dealing with school refusal.
In Victoria, the education department runs programs to re-engage youth in their schooling (there’s a similar program in NSW). In one of them, called the “Navigator”, Victorian kids aged 12 to 17 can be referred if their attendance is below 30 per cent.
In Queensland, families can call the Regional Youth Engagement Service for help and assistance if their child is refusing to go to school. They can put parents in touch with guidance counsellors and other professionals to provide support.
There are no other government schools in my catchment zone, what are my options?
There are a number of independent schools that cater for young people who are disengaged from education and whose needs are not being met by the mainstream system.
But they’re not everywhere, and there’s high demand to secure a place. The waitlist at one school, MacKillop Education Geelong, was up to 100 people long.
Ethan, a 12-year-old from Geelong waited six months to get a spot at the school.
When he did get in, he flourished.
“When he came here, he couldn’t read, couldn’t write, couldn’t do anything, and now, he’s taking on board the learning … to the point where he can go back to mainstream school next year,” says his mother Sam.
The school has 80 students enrolled and keeps class sizes limited to eight kids. It has chill-out areas for students who need emotional regulation, and made adjustments like allowing kids to choose what they wear.
Distance education programs are also available at some schools for children and youth who may be geographically isolated or whose special circumstances prevent them from attending a school.
Are there other options?
Some parents homeschool in order to meet their child’s education needs themselves. It is a legally recognised alternative to enrolment in a school.
For some, it’s a last resort they feel they must take on, even if it means sacrificing work and other commitments. But for many, it’s just not financially feasible.
Each state and territory has different registration and monitoring requirements for parents who homeschool their kids.
Home Education Association, a not-for-profit community support group, has some resources on what each state and territory requires.
How many families is this affecting?
It’s really hard to tell.
Deakin University researcher, Associate Professor Glenn Melvin, says one of the biggest issues with addressing school refusal is that we don’t know how many young people it’s impacting.
There is no comprehensive national data on school refusal because most states and territories are not tracking the reason kids are absent from school
“Departments of Education don’t routinely collect this data, but this is critical data. It might be that the problem is much larger than we expect,” Dr Melvin says.
Victoria is the only state that tracks school refusal numbers.
In 2021, 11,825 students were affected – but the Victorian government says this is a conservative estimate.
What’s being done?
The Senate inquiry into school refusal made 14 recommendations to the federal, state and territory governments.
They include:
- A nationally agreed definition of school refusal and a consistent approach to recording school absences
- funding a support network for parents and schools
- An expansion of subsidised student mental health care visits
This month, the federal government agreed or supported in principle two of the inquiry’s 14 recommendations.
They include commissioning the Australian Education Research Organisation to analyse what’s driving the problem and possible interventions as well as disseminating school refusal training for teachers.
Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne, who helped instigate the inquiry, says some solutions could be integrated into mainstream schools.
“We know that there are things that work: early intervention, smaller class sizes, flexible campuses, interest-led learning,” she says.
How can I understand the issue better as a parent?
While no national resource exists to help parents dealing with school refusal, most state education departments have information available online.
In Australia, Monash University, University of Melbourne and Deakin University researchers have also created evidence-based parent resources for school refusal including a parenting guide and online modules for families.
Watch Four Corners: The Kids Who Can’t, now on ABC iview.
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