Colman Noctor: Lessons must be learned about school avoidance
Since the pandemic, school avoidance has
become a growing crisis in Ireland.
I teach a child and adolescent mental health postgraduate programme at South East Technological University Waterford to psychotherapists, mental health nurses, occupational therapists, and others. In recent class discussions, school avoidance was repeatedly mentioned as an issue they are experiencing in their work.
The national figures support what they are seeing. Since the pandemic, school avoidance has become a growing crisis in Ireland.
Newly appointed education minister Helen McEntee recently pledged to reverse the absenteeism trend and indicated that, despite a return to normality, the proportion of children chronically absent from school has more than doubled post-covid.
According to Department of Education Inspectorate figures, more than 25% of primary schoolchildren and 20% of post-primary students missed at least a month of school days during the 2022/23 school year. The figures were 10% and 15% two years before covid.
We are not alone in this crisis. England’s children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza, has declared falling school attendance an “epidemic” and made it her mission to ensure persistently absent children get the support they need to return to school.
According to the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), attendance has improved in most of the 38 countries in the OECD since the pandemic; however, absenteeism increased in one in 10 countries (including Ireland).
The report’s author, Miyako Ikeda, suggests that countries with longer lockdowns are experiencing a more significant deterioration in attendance since the pandemic. The most common reason given in the Pisa report for missing school for long periods was illness, although “boredom or a lack of safety at school” were frequently cited by students taking part in Pisa. We can assume that lack of safety refers to concerns around bullying or growing numbers of young people experiencing higher levels of anxiety in the school environment.
The report states: “While schools can do little to prevent illness, they can address a lack of motivation among students, and much can be done to make schools safer.”
There are many reasons for a fall in school attendance, which is why it is so difficult for governments to respond, says senior OECD analyst Lucy Cerna, who has been working closely with countries such as Ireland, Norway, and Slovakia on tackling pupil absence. Cerna states that before covid, non-attendance was generally viewed as a senior cycle issue, but now it is becoming widespread in terms of the student profile.
In an article earlier this year in TES Magazine, Cerna said: “Absenteeism is still mainly an issue with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, immigrant students and students with special needs — but many countries now say it’s also students from more advantaged backgrounds too.”
However, school avoidance may also be partly due to the loss of routine during the pandemic and the detrimental impact of social isolation on children’s social skills.
Prolonged periods away from structured school environments made reintegrating difficult for some children. Younger students, particularly, missed out on critical early social experiences, making school feel unfamiliar and intimidating.
A sense of belonging at school seems to play “a very important role” in attendance. Cerna explains how this could have been “damaged” or “interrupted” by covid, and schools struggle to “recreate this connection”.
The concerns about our lack of social connection are also associated with the rise in technological communication, which is also a critical factor to consider.
Returning to school after an absence could also lead to a fear of falling behind academically, leading to stress and avoidance. My son was ill post-Christmas and missed a lot of school in January, and I can see the pressure he is under to catch up on various class-based assessments upon his return.
Even when schools are closed, there is pressure upon their reopening to make up for the lost time and catch up with the curriculum demands, which can add to the pressure to complete coursework.
This pressure was especially true post-pandemic for those who struggled with online learning or lacked adequate support at home.
Parents can sometimes accommodate school avoidance behaviours, whether out of concern or lack of awareness. This can occur by allowing children to stay home on difficult days when perhaps being more insistent on the child attempting to attend may be more beneficial in the longer run. While well-intentioned, this can reinforce avoidance rather than help children build coping strategies.
Prolonged periods of absence from school can lead to learning gaps and difficulty catching up. Children who avoid school often withdraw from social interactions, making reintegration even harder. Anxiety and depression can deepen, creating a cycle where returning to school becomes even more challenging.
Addressing school avoidance requires a multi-pronged approach involving schools, parents, mental health professionals, and policymakers. The priority is early intervention and psychological support. School avoidance is not necessarily a mental health disorder, so psychotherapeutic
approaches and educational psychological interventions need to play a far more active role. Schools also need much more prominent mental health supports, such as school-based counselling and professionals who can guide the management of school avoidance and provide anxiety
management techniques.
While some suggest teachers and school staff need more training to identify early warning signs of school avoidance and provide support before the problem escalates, this is another ask of teachers that may be unduly onerous. Instead, we need access to prompt mental health
support in schools to support any students who may be at risk of school avoidance. Many guidance counsellors in schools are currently trying to manage young people with significant mental health needs. They are doing a phenomenal job without the necessary supports.
Mental health or psychotherapeutically trained professionals could support the school and the family in engaging in a gradual reintegration strategy that might be effective. Reintegration strategies can be effective for students who are struggling with extreme anxiety. They involve a step-by-step return-to-school plan which may include:
- Shorter school days or a phased return to the classroom;
- Safe spaces in school where students can go if overwhelmed;
- Regular check-ins with designated staff members;
- Parents need guidance on encouraging school attendance without reinforcing avoidance behaviours.
Interventions, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques, can help parents and children develop coping skills.
Ms McEntee and colleagues must acknowledge that government action and policy changes are also needed.
Increased funding for school-based mental health services must be made available.
This support could lead to more specialised support for children with school avoidance and anxiety. Given the higher rates of absenteeism in disadvantaged areas, policies that address economic barriers to attendance, such as financial support for school-related expenses, are also needed.
When considering the drop in school attendance, Cerna poses the following questions for policymakers to consider: What is the purpose of education and schools? Why does it matter? Why is it important? Is the curriculum engaging? What can I do after school?
She notes that falling school attendance in Japan has prompted the government to introduce alternative school types where the curriculum is more practical and relevant for working life. Initial data suggests this initiative is highly successful, and the Japanese government plans to open more of these practically focused schools.
Interesting patterns are emerging in countries with good data on school attendance. According to Cerna, Fridays are disproportionately overrepresented with higher absenteeism, and there is evidence of more and more families taking holidays during term time, which is also problematic. This trend is a hot topic in Britain. In 2023-24, fines issued to parents for unauthorised term-time holidays increased by almost 25%. On punitive approaches and parent fines, Cerna says the feedback from the countries that have them or have tried them is they are “not very helpful” and “most of the time, they affect the parents that need the most support.”
School avoidance is a growing crisis demanding urgent attention, but no easy fix exists. Still, with a collaborative approach — combining mental health support, parental guidance, school reintegration strategies, creating more practical educational curriculum options, and policy reforms — Ireland can help students return to education, increase their sense of belonging and prevent long-term adverse outcomes. The pandemic may have exacerbated school avoidance, but with the right interventions, children can regain confidence and re-engage with learning.
- Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist
