An increasing number of young people are experiencing School Attendance Problems (Määttä et al., 2020). The term School Attendance Problems (SAPs) is used internationally to refer to difficulties labelled as school refusal, and more recently termed school avoidance or emotionally-based school avoidance; as well as other types of school absenteeism, such as truancy, school withdrawal or school exclusion (Heyne, Gren-Landell, Melvin & Gentle-Genitty, 2019). The reasons for SAPs are complex and multifaceted and they have been made more challenging by the Covid-19 pandemic.

To help address these challenges many governments have launched national school attendance campaigns. However, some attendance campaigns have been heavily criticised by parents and disability/social justice advocates. For instance, the campaign in the United Kingdom has been slated as being ‘tone deaf’, essentially blaming families and children for their problems (BBC News, 2024), rather than addressing root causes of SAPs, which are centred around systemic issues of disability, illness, neurodiversity, poverty, current and intergenerational adversity, mental distress, bullying, and discrimination (Devenney & O’Toole, 2021). There is also concern regarding how students’ school experiences may be trauma-inducing (O’Toole, 2021) and negatively impacting their wellbeing (Lombardi, et al., 2019)

Within the field of school attendance, there is recognition that the world is changing, schooling is different, students’ needs are more diverse, and our approach to school attendance and each student’s relationship with education must be different too (Heyne, et al., 2024). Consequently, there is a need to take seriously the lived experience of students who experience SAPs (and their families) and respond in compassionate and trauma informed ways.

The purpose of this study was firstly to explore the views and experiences of SAPs from multiple perspectives, including those of students, parents, school staff and other professionals from health, social care, and justice sectors; and secondly, to harness the insights from these groups to develop guidance to help address SAPs. The project was funded by the Children and Young Peoples Services Committee in County Limerick, Ireland.

The study was informed by trauma-informed values and principles (i.e., collaboration, empowerment, trustworthiness, safety, respect for diversity; Fallot & Harris, 2001) and was concerned with people’s lived experience, including their experience of themselves, of their interactions and relationships, and of the complex patterns that co-arise between individuals and the larger systemic context (Goleman and Senge, 2014). We were interested in understanding ‘what it is like to be’ a professional, parent, or young person impacted by SAPs. Thus, the methodology was designed to inquire into the affective, cognitive, and bodily/somatic experiences of key actors within the education and social system (Fuchs, 2017; Herrman, Nielsen & Aguilar-Raab, 2021).

Four cohorts of participants were purposively sampled: 1) school staff (n=16, including principals, guidance counsellors, teachers, alternative education teachers), 2) allied professionals (n=13 including psychologists, social workers, community and family support workers), 3) parents (n=2, both mothers), and 4) young people (n=11, aged 14-18 years). Online focus groups were conducted with the professional groups. In-person interviews were carried out with parents. The young people participated in either individual interviews or focus group interviews; and arts-based methods, including self-portraiture and body mapping were used to facilitate thoughtful, embodied communication in a safe and supportive space (Bagnoli, 2009; Orchard, 2017). Ethical approval was obtained from Maynooth University Social Research Ethics Subcommittee. All data was recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were anonymized and then analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2021) reflective thematic analysis (RTA) approach. Data from the professionals was analysed separately to the data from parents and young people.

Five themes were identified from the professionals’ data. These were 1) A perfect storm: the conditions impacting school attendance problems, 2) The rigidity of the education system, 3) Over-worked and under-resourced, 4) Lessons learned around what works, and 5) Looking to the future: what’s needed next? Four themes were identified following analysis of focus groups and interviews with young people and parents; as follows 1) You’re not welcome here, but you’re also not allowed leave, 2) Fighting for your life – disability and mental health difficulty, 3) Nothing left in my arsenal: The stress of parenting a young person with school attendance difficulties, 4) Envisaging a better education system - blue sky thinking. Overall the findings point to the need to embrace change, reconceptualise school attendance, and consider new ways of working that are relationship-centred and grounded in a strong sense of purpose. By working together in partnership it is possible to transform educational practices, shaping a future where all students feel a sense of belonging in school and are enabled to thrive in harmony with our evolving world.

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