Schools and families working together
If you think that your child may be experiencing worry around school and may be at risk of school non-attendance, it is important to speak with your child’s school. You can speak with your child’s class teacher, form tutor, SENCO or other key member of staff. We know that when parent carers, children and schools work together, there are likely to be better outcomes for the child.
Working in partnership with your child’s school
Working in partnership with your child and your child’s school, helps to:
- have a shared understanding of your child’s strengths and needs, for example, what they are good at and what they might find difficult
- identify what the barriers are to your child going to school
- generate creative ideas and suggestions for what might support your child
- support one another if things become difficult
- use the same approach
- feel valued and respected, and have your views listened to.
Stepped support plans
You can develop a stepped support plan to support your child’s attendance which:
- focuses on your child’s views and voice
- considers ways to support them to feel accepted, respected and included
- provides specific, measurable targets for your child to allow for small steps of progress to be celebrated
- has clear actions for the school, you and your child (depending on their age) to ensure these targets are met
- is reviewed regularly to see how things are going, what is working and any changes that need to be made.
Some useful resources
Young Minds have created a useful guide for parents: school anxiety and refusal, with helpful suggestions about talking to you child’s school if you have concerns about their attendance.
When working together your child’s school, it will be helpful to keep a record of your child’s worries about school and any days they have been unable to attend. This will help to develop a shared understanding of the reasons for your child’s attendance difficulties and lead to better support. You may find this checklist for Attendance Tracking and Support (CATS) helpful for this.