EMOTIONALLY BASED SCHOOL AVOIDANCE (EBSA)
Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) also known as school refusal, Emotional Based School Refusal (EBSR) or Anxiety Related Non-Attendance (ARNA), can be used to describe children and young people who do not attend school due to emotional factors. This absence can often lead to long periods of time away from school.
EBSA is different from absence for physical illness and truancy. Most young people experiencing EBSA can be highly anxious and show significant distress about attending school. In many instances, they remain engaged with education and want to return to school even though they feel unable to do so. Often, the young person’s anxiety will reduce during weekends or school holidays.
Wakefield Council's Educational Psychology Service have put together some helpful booklets looking at EBSA for both parent/carers and children/young people. Click the links below to download each booklet.
EBSA Parent/Carer Booklet
EBSA Children/Young People Booklet
