School distress support for parents

EBSA describes a difficulty, not its whole cause

Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) describes attendance difficulties associated with emotional distress. It is not a diagnosis or an explanation for every absence. Barriers may include unmet SEND needs, sensory demands, bullying, health difficulties or several interacting factors.

If you searched for school refusal help in England, you may encounter older language that suggests deliberate defiance. Start by understanding what your child cannot manage rather than assuming they are choosing not to attend. Family Action explains the terminology; Not Fine in School describes wider attendance barriers.

Prepare the school meeting about EBSA

Keep short, dated observations: what happened before school, which lesson or transition was difficult, what happened afterwards and what helped. Separate what you observed from what you think caused it. Include your child's words, drawings or preferred way of communicating, without repeatedly pressing them to explain.

Contact the SENCo and attendance or pastoral lead. Share two or three priorities and ask for a meeting. Useful questions include:

• Which barriers will we address, and how will my child's views shape the support?
• What changes and access to learning can be arranged while attendance is difficult?
• Who owns each action, how will we check its effect, and when will we review together?

Ask for a written action summary. Keep reporting absences through the school's procedure and explain the reasons; do not wait for a consultancy appointment to raise urgent concerns.

Fictional agenda example

Paid educational support for school distress and EBSA

If you are looking for an educational EBSA consultant in England, first agree what you want help preparing. Stephen can help organise observations, review selected educational support plans and recommendations, or prepare questions for school or the LA. Detailed review and preparation are paid work, not part of the free call.

Hourly Consultation: £95 per hour

Agree the selected plan, observations or questions to review. The published hourly option includes up to one hour of professional time per £95 booking and brief written notes after the session. Confirm whether the notes will cover an agenda, evidence questions or a factual correspondence outline, and how much review and preparation fits that time. It is not a full evidence-bundle audit or automatic meeting attendance.

Initial Consultation: £175

Provide one recent agreed document for pre-reading, followed by a 60-minute video or telephone call and written next steps. Up to 3.5 hours of professional time are included in total. This is a focused one-document consultation, not a review of every report or ongoing casework. Further work is optional and needs its own agreed scope.

These are existing consultancy options, not a new EBSA package. See paid service outputs, fees and included time. Confirm documents, questions, written output, timing and secure transfer before work starts. Additional work requires prior written agreement.

Stephen does not diagnose, provide therapy or assess clinical fitness to attend. This is not a solicitor's service, and no attendance, placement, provision or legal outcome is guaranteed. Health needs may require an appropriate clinician; urgent legal issues may require a regulated legal adviser.

Keep education and health needs in view

DfE attendance guidance supports an individual plan with parents and regular review. Any return-to-school approach should address the child's barriers; involve an appropriate clinician where health needs require it.

For compulsory-school-age children unable to attend because of health needs, statutory guidance explains local authority education duties where suitable education would otherwise be unavailable. Raise this promptly; the guidance's reference to 15 days is not an instruction to wait.

EBSA does not automatically establish entitlement to education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) through an EHCP or prevent attendance action. Seek specialist advice promptly about enforcement notices or legal deadlines.

Questions parents ask

What records help with meeting preparation?

Short dated observations, the current educational support plan and your child's own account can help. Note what was difficult and what helped, and distinguish observations from assumptions about the cause. Agree any documents for paid review before sending them.

Is this therapy or an assessment of whether my child can attend?

No. SEND Navigate offers educational consultancy and preparation for school conversations. Diagnosis, treatment and clinical fitness-to-attend assessments need an appropriate health professional.

Free alternatives and other routes

IPSEA offers free SEND guides, template letters and advice options. Find your local SENDIASS for free, impartial SEND advice. Not Fine in School offers parent peer support; Family Action's linked EBSA article includes free FamilyLine support.

For missing support or EHCP provision, use school not meeting SEN needs. For a council refusal, see refusal-to-assess help or refusal-to-issue help.

Prefer to read first? Not Refusing. Unable. is an optional resource, not a requirement before contacting Stephen.