EBSA resources for schools

Resources and guidance (below) to support school staff and education professionals in implementing whole school approaches and support. These are designed to help settings to consider their ‘universal’ provision and how they might develop this further.​

Please see school self-audit tool below.

As part of the assessment process, it is important to consider and routinely gather the child or young person's voice to inform individualised support. This is explained further in the slide deck here, within the context of the assess, plan, do, review cycle.

Central to the assessment process is the gathering of pupil views.  The content included in the slides below should assist with this.

This proforma can be used to gather the views of secondary teachers about a young person who may be experiencing EBSA.

This below document talks through key considerations for education settings in working with and supporting parents on the topic of EBSA.

The document below helps with the gathering of parent & carer views

The below document includes lots of helpful signposting links for parent and carer support 

Once you have gathered pupil and parent and carer voices, this can then be used to inform appropriate next steps and to plan intervention. Below is an example of a proforma that could be used to aid formulation and planning.

The below guidance for ELSAs captures advice for Emotional Literacy Support Assistants in their work with pupils who are finding school attendance difficult.​

On our Inclusion Facilitator PATH page you will find links to explain some person-centred planning tools that can be used to aid the formulation of next steps. 

Also on our Inclusion Facilitator Services page, you will find information on intervention strategies such as Circle of Friends or Team Pupil, that could be used to address needs related to EBSA for some pupils.

The below slides about anxiety intervention will give some ideas and tips on addressing anxiety with children and young people.​

Despite everybody's best efforts, sometimes the child or young person's difficulties escalate to a level where their attendance is increasingly inconsistent, or where they stop attending altogether. At these times, schools understandably feel limited in terms of what they can offer. 
Guidance and resources are listed below that may be useful for schools to develop their offer to children and young people (CYP) and families who are not currently attending, as well as to support CYP to re-engage with education in future.

Please see document below about promoting feelings of safety.

Please refer to the document below for further information and signposting to useful websites, webinars, books and resources that may also be helpful.​

This Youtube video titled 'The Ideal Children's Worker', shows Children & young people in Suffolk tell us how adults can support children and young people best.

This YouTube training video titled 'Working with Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)', from Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, helps to:

• Provide an understanding of EBSA and the factors which lead to it developing in children
• Increase awareness of effective approaches to working with EBSA
• Learn about how teaching students simple coping skills strategies can support a return to school plan
• Consider ideas to strengthening pupil resilience.