Beating School Refusal
School can be a dauting prospect for many kids, especially a new one, and it’s often left to parents to deal with the issue. Schools can do their part by making themselves welcoming places to attend but its parents that need to get their kid dressed, fed and out of the door.
There are strategies that teachers might give to parents about supporting children through their anxiety and getting them back into learning.
Dr Emily Berger a senior lecturer in the School of Educational psychology and counselling at Monash University has seven parenting tips to help children who are struggling with a new school or teacher.
1 Provide as much information as possible about the new school and teacher. For children who are especially reluctant, the new teacher might share a photo of themselves, and/or a photo of the classroom and new school. The teacher could also share the classroom schedule and other important information.
2 Have parents talk to their child about what they can look forward to at the new school or with their new teacher. Mum and dad should indicate their confidence in the teacher and speak favourably about school attendance.
3 Impress upon parents that they need to be active listeners to the concerns of their child about school avoidance. Children are often reluctant to adapt because they are uncertain as to what to expect. Parents can listen, engage and be supportive whilst also providing accurate information as responses.
4 Parents should get involved, help children to plan for their school day in advance by preparing their school uniform, planning lunches, or even packing their school bag with them. This may relieve some pressure they feel, and it demonstrates interest as a parent in the child’s school life.
5 Arrange to visit the school grounds before the first day to ensure both parent and child are aware of the school surroundings and environment. Be certain the child can navigate the location to the playground, their classroom, the school office, and where they store their belongings during school.
6 Kids should be rewarded when they successfully attend school or engage in a school activity that they find anxiety provoking. The reward can be as simple as letting them choose what to have for dinner. Such incentives can motivate the child at first and as school attendance becomes easier, this can be eased off.
7 For children who are consistently exhibiting school refusal behaviours, a school attendance plan can be established to gradually build up a child's interest and confidence over time.
If the issue persists, parents need to discuss and evaluate both home environment and school interactions with the child that might be contributing to their anxiety, such as challenges with peers, access to technology during the day or the comfort of being close to parents, Professor Andrew Martin at UNSW Sydney says.
“Academic adjustment problems are common. Students may struggle with all their schoolwork or just in a particular subject area. If you want to support a student through these difficulties, it is useful to first identify if the difficulties are due to will, to skill, or a bit of both. This helps direct time and resources to the main areas in need.
“If the problem is will, it refers to the motivation and engagement aspects of school life. There are positive parts to motivation and engagement, such as self-belief and effort - as well as negative aspects, such as anxiety and procrastination.
“Skill refers to the knowledge and functions needed to learn and perform at school. It might be that they have difficulty in understanding information and the key concepts required to engage with a subject. Or, they may have functional problems with things like literacy, numeracy, and even executive functions such as paying attention and focusing.”
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