Wellbeing at Homestead

School avoidance and refusal

Has your child been refusing to go to school? Have they been showing any of the behaviours listed below?

• Experiencing trouble in the morning of a school day (pleading to stay at home)
• Having trouble the night before school with difficulties falling asleep and protesting that they will not be attending school tomorrow
• Not wanting to come to school after a break (such as the weekend or school holidays).
• Repeatedly arriving late to school or spending a prolonged time in sickbay
• Showing reluctant type behaviours, such as avoiding activities beyond the classroom (athletics carnival, swimming carnival, etc.)
• Being distressed or aggressive about going to school either the night before or in the morning
• Complaining about feeling sick in the evening or morning prior to a school day

If the answer is yes, these behaviours are very common in students and often result in prolonged school absence. School refusal is not the occasional unexplained absences. Research indicates that these behaviours significantly increased after Covid/lockdown. Additionally, social anxiety was one of the most common reasons as to why students were truant after lockdown. 

My child is showing these types of behaviours, what can I do about it?

If school refusal is unmanaged through their years of schooling, the child may be at risk of mental health issues. Therefore, early intervention is essential. It is important that we identify these issues in students and act promptly. In these instances, some students don’t wish to be approached and often say ‘leave me alone’. The strategies listed below may assist in the child feeling comfortable to speak up about what they think is affecting them.

• Firstly, give them some time/space. Try not to ask multiple questions as they may be trying to collect their thoughts themselves 
• Ask them if they comfortable to talk about it with you (this may prompt them to say who they wish to talk to instead)
• Reassure them that you are here to listen to them and that they are not alone
• Approach your child in a very calm and peaceful manner. Approaching them in a loud tone may escalate the situation as the child is already distressed 
• Encourage the child by stating that help is available and if they don’t wish to talk about it at home, they can also seek support through the wellbeing team at school 

Always encourage the child to reach out if they feel they are struggling mentally. A referral from is now available for students to self-refer themselves. Please see below for more information.

Referral Form for students: 

A student self-referral form is now available for students to reach out to wellbeing. The student self-referral form is on compass under the star menu and is listed as ‘Jas self-referral form’. This form is for students to fill out themselves if they believe they are needing wellbeing support. Parent consent is not required for the self-referral form. Please ensure you are accurately filling out the form.

Referral Form for parents (wellbeing related): 

A referral form is also available for parents to fill out for their child. The parent referral form is available on the HSSC in which parents can make a referral for their child to the wellbeing team. Please note that this is strictly only related to wellbeing of the student at HSSC.

Please also see a link below in further understanding school refusal.

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/supporting-a-young-person/school-refusal/

-Jas Bhatia (Wellbeing Counsellor)