Key principles for supporting pupils experiencing EBSA

Supporting pupils who experience EBSA is challenging and takes time

• early identification of EBSA is key

• therapeutic approaches will help to prevent EBSA difficulties

• use the right language - EBSA and 'school refusal' are not the same! 

• actively listen and validate pupils worries/anxieties 

• foster positive home-school relationships, everyone needs to work together to support a return to school

• encourage feelings of belonging in school  Perfectly safe school [38KB]

• develop an EBSA Plan that addresses the barriers to attendance

• share the message that anxiety is a natural response to a perceived threat

• there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to addressing EBSA anxieties

• be flexible, positive and accommodating

• remember that you cannot necessarily see anxiety

• recognise that reducing anxiety takes time, expect progress in small steps