By Mrs Jenny Gillespie, Counsellor  

When Teens Don’t Want to Go to School…  

School Attendance 

In 2022 The Australian Government’s Department of Health commissioned a report on school refusal in Australia. Part of the report examined the links between school attendance and mental health and the report suggested that early intervention, when problems arise, is crucial to positive educational and health outcomes over time. 

School Refusal 

There is no universally agreed definition of school refusal but common to most definitions is student avoidance of school, for an extended period. It is generally accepted that school refusal is complex and comes with multiple contributing factors. 

A definition that may be useful comes from Maynard, et al (2018) defined school refusal as featuring: 

1. Reluctance or refusal to attend school, often leading to prolonged absences 

2. Staying at home during school hours with parents’ knowledge rather than concealing the problem from parents 

3. Experience of emotional distress at the prospect of attending school (e.g. somatic complaints, anxiety, and unhappiness) 

4. Absence of severe antisocial behaviour 

5. Parental efforts to secure their child’s attendance at school.

As a College Counsellor, I would say it is typical for many teens to find it hard to get to school every day OR occasionally miss school OR get back into a good attendance routine after holidays, however, for some students, avoiding school can become a daily battle and if left unchecked, may contribute to mental health difficulties over time. 

Resources 

Many resources exist to support families to understand the nature of school refusal as well as potential responses. These include:

• Understanding school refusal (headspace.org.au)
• School refusal - Be You 

Please contact your child’s Pastoral Leader, Brett Armstrong or myself if further information is required or if you are concerned about your child’s school refusal.

Early intervention and support is very important.