EBSA & School Attendance Support

What emotionally based school avoidance means

Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) describes a child who cannot attend school because of anxiety or distress, rather than because they are choosing not to go. It often shows up as morning distress, physical symptoms, masking in school and a very different presentation at home.

Families are frequently asked for proof of something that happens behind closed doors. That is where careful, consistent recording makes the difference.

Evidence gathering for attendance difficulties

A toolkit takes you through what to record and how: attendance patterns, morning presentation, attempts to attend, your child’s voice, what school sees compared with what happens at home, recovery time, sensory factors, what has been tried, and a clear chronology.

Written support and evidence review

If you already have information but are not sure how it reads, you can send it for written support or an evidence review and get a personalised response from Jess.

When school attendance links to an EHCP or being out of education

Attendance difficulties often sit alongside an EHCP request, an existing plan, or a child who is not accessing education at all. If that is your situation, the EHCP and EOTAS pages cover the support available for those routes.