| dc.description.abstract | School attendance is crucial for academic progress as well as the holistic development of children (Pellegrini, 2007). Research has consistently demonstrated poor short-term and long-term outcomes for children who experience school attendance difficulties and there is growing concern in the UK, and across the world, for children who miss education (Askeland et al., 2020; Baker & Bishop, 2015). School non-attendance (SNA) is a challenging and longstanding phenomenon for schools, professionals, and families alike (Fornander & Kearney, 2020; Gulliford & Miller, 2015). It is well documented that attending and engaging in school is not only critical for children’s cognitive development but also for their social-emotional development and mental wellbeing (DfE, 2019; Maynard et al., 2018). This research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide, it is estimated that 1.6 billion students have been affected by school closures in response to the pandemic (Donohue & Miller, 2020). These school closures have continued to raise awareness and concern for the detrimental impacts of non-attendance at school on children’s development and wellbeing. In this research, I employ a pragmatic methodological approach within a two-study research design. In study one, an online questionnaire was used to gather views from parents (n=289) who have experience of their child’s school attendance difficulties. I aimed to elicit parental perspectives on the barriers to attendance and their views on the support offered to them and their child for non-attendance. I also elicited parental views on how this support could be improved. In study two, online semi-structured interviews with conceptual mapping and a card-sort activity were used with a sample of pastoral school staff (n=10) who have experience in supporting non-attendance. In this study, I explored how pastoral staff conceptualise attendance difficulties and elicited their views on what school-based factors might act as barriers to attendance. I also explored staff’s perspectives on how support for non-attendance can be facilitated in schools. This research was conducted under strict ethical and methodological considerations in response to the pandemic. The findings provide insight into attendance difficulties during this unique and unprecedented time. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2013; 2020). The findings demonstrate that SNA represents a challenging, complex, and at times, desperate situation for many parents in this study. A variety of factors were highlighted to act as barriers to children’s school attendance. In line with existing literature, parents emphasised the role of school factors over other factors (Melvin et al., 2019). Anxiety and other mental health difficulties were perceived by both parents and staff as having significant impacts on a child’s ability to attend school. Parents’ views on the support received varied, reflecting the complex and individualised nature of non-attendance. Parents valued home-school partnerships that encompassed kindness and removed parental blame for their child’s non-attendance. Both parents and school staff identified similar factors that might improve support for children and families experiencing non-attendance (and at different levels: school, family, professional, and wider systems). The congruences in views across the two studies indicate a key role for pastoral staff in supporting families in cases of non-attendance. The findings contribute to an understanding of school non-attendance from the view of parents and pastoral staff. Implications for the practice of Educational Psychologists (EPs) and school staff are discussed with an exploration of possible future actions for addressing the complex and challenging nature of school non-attendance. | en_GB |
