Wellbeing

Mrs Mauriks

Hello families,

With five week of the school year left, we still have some students who are finding the process of leaving home to head to school quite challenging. This can fall under the umbrella of school refusal.

School refusal is when children find it difficult to go to school. They might get extremely upset and often miss some or all of the school day. This distress doesn’t go away. But having a positive school experience is good for children’s and teenagers’ overall development and social and emotional wellbeing.

School refusal might start gradually or happen suddenly. For example, it can happen at the same time as or after stressful events at home or problems at school.

If your child struggles to go to school, it’s important to start by trying to understand the issue from your child’s point of view and acknowledging their feelings. The next step is working with the school to address the issues that are making it hard for your child to attend school. You can work with the school on strategies to help your child with school refusal.

There are also professionals who can work with you and your child to help with any challenges your child is experiencing, including anxiety, depression or learning difficulties.

The following webinar is one families may find beneficial for learning about how they can support their child through this challenging time. In addition, the raisingchildren.net.au website has many resources for further reading.

https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/podcasts-and-webinars/webinars/school-refusal-webinar

Have a great week and take care everyone.

Róisín Mauriks

Learning Specialist - Inclusion