Concerns raised over young people in South Tyneside missing school due to mental heath

South Tyneside Council chiefs have provided an update on work being carried out to support children and young people who have “severe difficulties in attending school due to emotional factors”.

The latest meeting of the local authority’s education and skills scrutiny committee heard such issues can often result in prolonged absence from school and it is classed as emotional based school non attendance (EBSA).

Data from schools in 2021 showed South Tyneside has experienced rises in absenteeism similar to the national picture.

In secondary schools 6% of pupils were considered regular non-attenders, 72% of which were due to anxiety.

Meanwhile in South Tyneside primary schools 3% of pupils were considered regular non-attenders, 36% of which were due to anxiety.

It comes as the rate of persistent absenteeism, which is below 90% attendance,  has nearly doubled to 22.3% nationally.

Speaking at the meeting, Andy Ritchie, council service manager for access and inclusion, said: “This is a national issue, it’s not just in South Tyneside.

“It is quite a challenge for schools to kind of manage these pupils as well.

“We’re getting quite a lot of requests for children who have got mental health and anxiety EBSA, so we need to look at the problem that we’ve got to see if we can do things differently to support the growing numbers of children.”

The meeting heard research indicates EBSA can be attributed to “a range of often complex and multi-faceted emotional factors that can make it difficult to ascertain the root cause for individuals”.

Main themes include being to avoid uncomfortable feelings brought on by attending schools and situations that might be stressful, separation anxiety or to gain attention from significant others.

Councillor Katharine Maxwell, vice chair of the committee, said: “The thing that generally I just find so depressing is primary school children have got anxiety, at that age you should be obviously going to school, but you shouldn’t be that anxious about it.

“The point about the reason for the anxiety is pressure of achievement… I would imagine it’s like a vicious circle, if they’re not going to school they’re going to fall further behind and they’ll get more anxious.”

Meanwhile Councillor Shirley Ford, Green group representative, said it is a “heartbreaking situation” and highlighted the “long standing challenges” schools and parents face, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She added: “Lots of children and families were delighted to come back to school, but for others it was much more difficult.

“It’s really positive to see that now things are moving and there is work between schools.”

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To help address the issue, projects have been developed by council chiefs following consultations with parents, carers, schools, children and young people regarding proactive approaches.

Draft guidance has also been produced for schools to ensure they are able to effectively identify children and young people who may or are experiencing EBSA alongside strategies to support them.

Other actions to address the issue include working with professionals to share best practice and ensuring there are robust monitoring procedures in place for young people.

The meeting heard upcoming projects will include developing a pathway that clearly outlines the steps to be taken at the various stages, from identification through to reintegration to school where appropriate.

Officers will also explore opportunities for the development of EBSA provision and a multi-agency working group will be established to identify any gaps in services and opportunities for joint commissioning.