School attendance case studies

Hear from pupils, parents and teachers about the support available when children are struggling to go to school.

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Kelsey's story

In this video, Kelsey explains how her school helped when she started struggling to go in.

Heidi's story

Mum Heidi talks about how her son's school helped when he struggled with attendance.

Abi and Nicole's story

Abi, now 17, was in third year of secondary school when she started getting anxious about going to classes.

Her Mum Nicole recalls: “Abi started to get really anxious about being around people and didn’t want to leave the house. And of course, the less she left the house, the less she wanted to leave, and things just snowballed from there.

“When we did manage to persuade her to go, she would just hide in the toilets. We would get messages from school saying Abi’s missed a class and asking where she was.

“Me and Abi’s dad were heartbroken that she was finding the daily routine of school such a huge mental challenge.”

Nicole reached out to the school and Abi’s guidance teacher put her in touch with a Senior Family Support Worker. He arranged for Abi to miss the morning rush and to meet him in the quiet student hub area instead. He offered reassurance and support to help her gradually take part in classes again.

Nicole said: “It was just little things, but it made all the difference to how Abi felt and she was able to build her confidence back up really slowly and at her own pace… Over the past year Abi has passed all the Highers she needs for university and is hoping to pursue a career in mental health nursing. We are so proud of her and very, very grateful for the support to get her to this stage.

“If there are other parents in a similar situation I would recommend they take action and talk to the school – the support Abi received has changed all of our lives.”

How schools can help

In this video, Deputy Head Teacher Catherine Ferguson explains how schools can help when children are struggling to attend school.

What the professionals say

“When children or young people consistently miss school, they may fall behind academically, social relationships may break down, and they may start to withdraw from other activities. This negatively impacts their wellbeing, often creating a cycle where absence leads to mental health issues, which in turn lead to absence, and absence can then impact or worsen their mental health.

“Parents and guardians can help children or young people who are struggling to attend school by acknowledging their feelings, listening to them, and reaching out to the school. School staff, parents and young people should ideally work together to figure out what the barriers are and how these can be addressed, to help young people attend.”