Wellbeing Matters
November 2021
Wellbeing Matters
November 2021
Adapted from https://headspace.org.au/friends-and-family/understanding-school-refusal/
School is a place filled with experiences and opportunities for young people. Some of these are exciting while others can be quite challenging. How a young person feels about school is influenced by many factors, such as their learning ability and style, relationships with their teachers, their family life and their peer relationships.
School refusal can occur when a young person finds it difficult to attend school because they experience emotional distress, such as anxiety or as the result of bullying. It’s not unusual for young people to feel reluctant to go to school periodically and find it more difficult to attend school on that day. This can present as feeling ill or unhappy in the morning before school with a desire to stay at home. But when this experience becomes more common and persistent, you and your young person may find yourselves stuck and in need of support.
Repeated school refusal can negatively impact a young persons’ learning and development. It can affect friendships due to missed opportunities to connect with their peers. The longer the issue persists, the more difficult it can be for your young person to get back into the routine of going to school, so where possible, respond sooner. With the right support and strategies, school refusal can be overcome.
Signs to look out for:
School refusal can manifest in many ways. Things to look out for might be:
distress and anxiety about going to school
What contributes to school refusal?
School refusal is complex and differs for each young person. There might be a few contributing reasons that lead to school refusal. Some common factors include:
Supporting your young person return to school:
If you’re caring for a young person who is refusing school, early action can help prevent behaviours from becoming longer-term habits. Modelling effective communication and problem solving at home can encourage your young person to do the same.
You can support your young person by finding a time when you both seem calm, then ask your young person about their concerns and worries about school. These issues can start to be addressed if they are known. Sometimes it can help to ask direct questions:
It is often helpful to:
Self-care for parents
Caring for someone who is experiencing school refusal can leave you feeling stressed, worried and anxious. It’s an important step to look after yourself during these times. By doing so, you are also modelling good self-care for your young person.
More information:
ReachOut - How to make friends at school
ReachOut - Living with school stress
Smiling Mind – Breathing and other relaxation techniques
Romy Glenn,
Student Wellbeing Co-ordinator
Immunisation nurses from Banyule Council attended Greensborough College on Monday 8th November to administer the HPV and Triple Antigen vaccines to Year 7 students as well as the Meningococcal vaccine to Year 10 students. On Monday, the nurses were not giving the vaccination to students that had received their Covid-19 vaccine within the previous 7 days.
However, that advice has changed since Monday and the information from the Australian Technical Advisory Group Immunisation (ATAGI) is that a 7-day interval between these vaccines or the influenza vaccine is no longer required.
Parents are still required to monitor their children’s reaction to any vaccine.
Common side effects of vaccinations include:
FURTHER INFORMATION
NURSE-ON-CALL puts you directly in touch with a registered nurse for caring, professional health advice around the clock.
Call 1300 60 60 24 from anywhere in Victoria for free health advice, 24 hours a day.
The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Frequently Asked Questions page
Frequently asked COVID-19 questions - Murdoch Children's Research Institute (mcri.edu.au)
COVID-19 vaccines | Australian Government Department of Health
Melissa Lenten,
Secondary School Nurse
Available @ Greensborough College on Thursdays & Fridays.