Did you know?

• Patterns of late arrival at school or missing classes are early warning signs of disengagement from school.
• Missing one day of school each week adds up to 2 months missed over a year.
• Each day absent in high school impacts skill development and social connections.
• Poor attendance may be associated with future unemployment, criminal activity, substance abuse, and poorer health and life expectancy.

Some causes of school problems

Some of the more common causes of school problems are underlying learning difficulties, learning disabilities, or behavioral and emotional issues. However, there are many other reasons why a young person might not be fully engaged in their education.

School factors might include:

• Bullying or cyberbullying
• Feeling isolated at school
• Disliking, or not feeling connected to, the school culture or environment
• Falling behind on school work or feeling overwhelmed about keeping up
• Disliking school subjects, not liking the choice of subjects, or not feeling challenged by the work
• Poor school or academic support, especially in relation to heavy workloads
• Not getting along with teachers or other students
• Competing demands on time, such as extracurricular activities

Personal factors might include:

• Chronic illness
• Intellectual or cognitive disability
• Behavioral or developmental difficulties or disorders
• Mental health issues such as depression or anxiety
• History of abuse and neglect
• Poor self-concept or self-esteem
• Poor communication skills
• Poor social skills
• Poor sleep habits
• Difficulty with listening, concentrating or sitting still

Family factors might include:

• Parents who aren’t involved in their child’s education
• A home environment that doesn’t or can’t adequately support a young person’s learning
• Family problems such as relationship breakdowns
• Competing family or social responsibilities, such as caring for family members, or working outside school hours

What you can do

• Act early.
• Emphasise the importance of attending school every day and make that the expectation. Regular attendance at school fosters good habits for regular attendance at work.
• Help your child maintain daily routines, such as completing homework and getting a good night’s sleep. On average, teenagers need 8-9 hours of sleep to stay healthy and alert. You may also need to monitor their use of the Internet, mobile phones, and TV at night to ensure they are not staying up too late or being disturbed while sleeping.
• Consider how your child is sleeping. Is their room cool and dark? Have all devices, including TVs and mobile phones, been removed?
• Avoid scheduling hair, dental, or medical appointments during school hours. Arrange family holidays during scheduled school breaks so they don’t miss classes and feel left behind.
• Don’t let your child stay home unless they are genuinely sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
• Reward appropriate behaviour and avoid unintentionally rewarding unwanted behaviour by allowing children who stay home to access their devices and the internet.
• If your child wants to stay home to finish an assignment, insist they go to school and make attendance the top priority. Later, discuss how they can improve their study habits or adjust their schedule.
• Check the assessment calendar on the website, use it to help your child plan their study time so they avoid working late the night before an assignment is due.
• Set a good example—how you meet your commitments impacts how they will meet theirs.
• Talk to your child about their feelings toward school. What interests them at school? Are there any difficult situations? Open these discussions in a relaxed manner so your teenager knows you are showing concern, not exerting authority.
• Be aware of your teenager’s social contacts. Peer influence can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage meaningful extracurricular activities that your child enjoys, such as sports and clubs, to develop positive relationships and experience success outside the classroom. These activities can help your child feel part of the group and more motivated.
• Set clear parameters around part-time work. Ensure that the hours your teenager works do not impact their ability to attend school the next day or interfere with school assessments or exam preparation. Most schools recommend no more than 10 hours per week. •
• Familiarize yourself with the school’s attendance policy. This can help when discussing attendance issues with your teenager.
• Monitor your child’s attendance and school performance. Periodically check with their teachers to find out how things are going. If contacting multiple teachers by phone is challenging, try email. Alternatively, the year-level coordinator may be a helpful point of contact for specific issues.
• Ask your teenager’s school about any flexible or blended learning options they offer.

Remember

You can talk with school staff (such as a teacher, year level coordinator, counsellors to find out what support they can provide to keep your teenager attending and engaged.

Further Assistance

Sometimes you may need assistance from professionals who can help anxious children.  Discuss your concerns with relevant teachers or College Counsellors. They can help address any school-based issues, refer your child to other services and make recommendations about professional support.

Alternatively, you could seek support from your GP who can assist with a referral to mental health professionals such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist.  They can help your child overcome their anxiety using mindfulness, improving self-confidence and self-esteem and helping children change the way they think about difficult situations.

Useful websites/contacts

• Beyond Blue:   Click Here
• Headspace:  Click Here
• Reach Out:  Click Here
• Raising Children Network:  Click Here
• Kids Help Line:  Click Here
• Parent Line:  Click Here