Hundreds of thousands of UK children are now persistently absent from school because anxiety, bullying, and a high-pressure "exam factory" culture make the classroom feel unsafe. Current interventions focus on fixing the individual child—offering therapy or rewards for attendance—but rarely address the school environment itself, which is why they often fail. This project will work with students, parents, and teachers to design and test a whole-school approach that tackles the root causes of emotionally based school avoidance: poor mental health support, weak student-teacher relationships, and a punitive school culture. The team will analyse national pupil data linked to NHS mental health records to identify which children are most at risk, then use surveys and interviews to build a detailed model of what drives avoidance. A panel of young people with lived experience will help select the most promising intervention strategies, and a consensus process with experts will finalise a programme protocol. Finally, a pilot study in two to three schools will test whether the approach is practical and acceptable. If successful, this could shift how schools across the UK prevent absence—not by punishing non-attendance, but by making school a place children want to be.
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Background: School absence rates in the UK have reached unprecedented levels, raising concerns for future generations. Rising prevalence of Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is driven by a combination of mental health and school-related factors such as 'exam factories' school culture, authoritarian discipline, bullying and strained teacher-student relationships. Despite the well-evidenced detrimental impact of poor attendance, current interventions addressing absence focus predominantly on individual-level factors, have limited effectiveness and acceptability among students, parents, and educators. Aims and objectives: To collaborate with stakeholders to co-produce a whole-school approach promoting high attendance through fostering positive school environment, supporting students' mental health, promoting school connectedness, and strengthening student-teacher relationships. Objectives are reflected in five work packages (WP). Methods: We will establish a self-sustaining Young Mental Health Researchers panel (YMHR) and additional parent, school staff and professional panels to ensure inclusivity, transparency, and accountability of the research, and relevance of the outputs. WP1: Quantitative analysis of National Pupil Database data linked to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust Child and Adolescent Mental Health and community paediatric services data, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust CAMHS data, to examine the characteristics of persistently absent pupils (attendanceWP2: A mixed-method study comprising a longitudinal survey and participatory needs assessment interviews with a subsample of participants to expand and confirm the EBSA model. WP3: YHMR-led identification of effective intervention strategies/components to address the factors driving EBSA. WP4: A Delphi consensus-building to determine the core components and strategies to deliver an effective, relevant whole-school approach addressing EBSA and co-production of a protocol outlining the programme components, study procedures, timeline, roles and responsibilities of team members, data collection methods, and evaluation plan. WP5: A pilot feasibility study informed by the Mixed Methods Research Training Program (MMRTP) conducted in 2-3 schools. The study will: (i) assess recruitment and retention rates, the uptake of the programme by schools and individuals, and explore barriers and facilitators to engagement with the programme and study participation; (ii) understand the practicality, barriers, and facilitators involved in implementing the programme in schools. Timelines for delivery: As soon as the funding is confirmed, we will apply for ethical approvals and access to linked datasets. WP1: Months 1-11 WP2: Months 1-20 WP3: Months 19-28 WP4: Months 28-36 WP5: Months 33-60 Impact and dissemination: Evidence supports strong connection between poor school environment and EBSA. The proposed whole-school approach will focus on supporting students' mental health and wellbeing, fostering a positive student-teacher relationships, enhancing connectedness, and promoting a positive school culture, ultimately creating a supportive, inclusive, and empathetic school environment. Positive school environment can mitigate the impact of negative experiences, reduce the risk of EBSA and facilitate the reintegration of students overcoming school avoidance challenges. We will use multiple channels of communication, such as traditional and social media, blogs, presentations, infographics, and influencers and involve members of all panels in dissemination and knowledge transfer. Each work package will lead to at least one open-access paper in peer-reviewed journals describing study findings.
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