Emotionally-Based School Avoidance can be one of the most challenging experiences a family can face.
Many families arrive at Coombe House after months, and sometimes years, of stress, frustration and uncertainty. Parents may feel blamed, judged or misunderstood. Young people may have lost trust in education and struggle to imagine a positive future in school.
We understand that EBSA is rarely simple.
Rather than asking “how do we get this child into school?”, our first question is often “what is making school feel difficult?”
Attendance difficulties can develop for many different reasons.
For some young people, anxiety is a significant factor. For others, previous educational experiences, social pressures, unmet needs, relationships, confidence or wider life circumstances may contribute.
There is rarely one cause. This is why we begin by seeking to understand the individual child, their experiences and the barriers they are facing.
Only then can meaningful support be planned.
We know that the impact of EBSA is often felt across the whole family.
Parents and carers frequently carry their own worries, frustrations and anxieties. Many have spent long periods trying to support a child who is struggling whilst navigating expectations from professionals and systems around them.
At Coombe House, we believe parents, carers and families are partners. We work alongside parents and carers to understand difficulties, develop shared plans and identify realistic next steps that support re-engagement with education.
Progress rarely begins with full-time attendance.
More often, it begins with relationships. It may look like:
These small but important moments often provide the foundation upon which longer-term progress is built.
Young people experiencing EBSA do not follow a different curriculum or a different set of ambitions. The destination remains the same.
Our curriculum is flexible so that it can be personalised around the needs of each pupil, allowing different routes towards the same aspirations, opportunities and adulthood outcomes.
We remain ambitious for every young person, whilst recognising that some may need a different pace, additional support or a more gradual pathway towards full engagement.
As relationships develop and barriers begin to reduce, pupils often start taking small steps towards greater participation in school life. Over time they begin to discover that education can feel different.
The ultimate goal is not attendance for its own sake.
The goal is engagement. We want young people to access learning, build relationships, develop confidence and move towards the same successful adult outcomes that we aspire to for all pupils.
Families affected by EBSA often arrive feeling exhausted and uncertain about the future.
Our role is not to force change.
Our role is to work alongside families and young people, helping them rediscover confidence, rebuild trust and create a pathway forwards. Above all, we want families to leave with something many feel they have lost, hope.
