Parents and carers
You see the mornings, the physical symptoms, the recovery afterwards and the words your child uses. That record is evidence nobody else can provide, and it is usually the part that is missing from meetings.
EBSA support for parents
EBSA support for parents: understand, record and plan what happens next
EBSA stands for Emotionally Based School Avoidance. It describes a pattern where a child finds attending school so difficult, emotionally or practically, that they cannot manage it, even when they want to go. It is a descriptive term, not a medical diagnosis.
Most families are told to try harder before anyone looks at what is actually happening. EBSA Simplified Support is the practical tool for the other half of that: recording attendance, emotional impact, triggers and patterns, so you have a clear written record and a plan you can share with school and review over time.
Start the free EBSA SnapshotDoes this sound like your family?
- My child will not go to school, and pushing harder is making it worse.
- My child is struggling to attend school, and mornings have become unbearable.
- My child is exhausted after school and has nothing left for the evening.
- My child looks fine at school but falls apart at home.
- I need help recording what is happening, in a way school will take seriously.
Some people call this school refusal or school avoidance. Those words are useful for finding information, but they describe the outcome, not a decision. Children in this position are usually trying very hard, not choosing distress.
What is EBSA?
EBSA is used by many schools, psychologists and local authorities when distress, rather than choice, is what stops a child attending. It often builds slowly: harder Sunday evenings, physical symptoms, late arrivals, part days, then days that cannot happen at all. A child can hold everything together in school and fall apart at home, which is why school and family can honestly describe two different children.
There is usually more than one thing going on: anxiety, sensory and social overload, learning demands, relationships, bullying, unmet special educational needs, change or loss. Read more in what is EBSA and school anxiety.
Who can help parents with EBSA in the UK?
Several people may have a role, and what is available genuinely varies by area and by circumstances. The list below is what those roles can involve, not a promise about your case.
School staff and the SENCO
School can look at what is happening in the school day, agree reasonable adjustments, record attendance accurately, hold planning meetings and review whether support is working. The SENCO usually coordinates special educational needs support.
Educational psychology
An educational psychologist may be involved through school or the local authority. They can explore what is making school difficult and advise on approaches, depending on local arrangements and availability.
Health professionals
A GP, paediatrician, CAMHS or other health services may be involved where there are health, mental health or developmental concerns. Only clinicians can make clinical assessments or diagnoses.
The local authority
Local authorities have duties around education, attendance and special educational needs, including deciding whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment. Teams and processes vary by area.
Specialist support services
Charities, parent carer forums, independent advice services such as your local SENDIASS, and specialist practitioners can offer information, advocacy and practical support.
EBSA Simplified Support
This platform is the practical tool. It helps you record what is happening, notice patterns over time, build a clear written record and produce a Support Plan you can share and review. It is not a clinical service.
What support may be available?
- Reasonable adjustments in school, such as a safe space, a trusted adult, a soft start or adjusted lessons.
- A planning meeting with school to agree what will be tried and how it will be reviewed.
- Special educational needs support in school, coordinated by the SENCO.
- Involvement of other professionals, such as educational psychology or health services, depending on local arrangements.
- An EHC needs assessment request, where needs may be more complex or long term. Whether an assessment is carried out is a local authority decision.
- Support for you as a parent, including advice services, parent groups and your local SENDIASS.
Nothing here is automatic. Decisions about support, assessments and placements sit with schools, local authorities and other services. What usually moves those conversations along is a specific, dated record rather than a general description.
What can parents record?
- Whether your child attended, arrived late, left early, was collected or stayed all day.
- What happened before school, at the gate and after school.
- Physical symptoms, such as stomach pain, headaches, nausea or exhaustion.
- Emotional distress, and how long it lasted.
- Your child's own words, in their words.
- Sensory, social and communication pressures that seem to matter.
- What you tried, and what helped even slightly.
- How recovery goes in the hours and days afterwards.
This is what the platform is built to do. You answer short questions day by day, and it organises the patterns within what you report. See how it works and EBSA evidence for school meetings and EHCP requests.
Information, assessment and a Support Plan are not the same thing
EBSA information
General explanation and guidance. It helps you understand what EBSA can look like, but it says nothing about your own child.
An assessment or exploration
A structured look at what may be making school difficult for one particular child, drawing on what parents, the child and school report. EBSA is not a medical diagnosis, and a platform cannot carry out a clinical assessment.
A Support Plan
A written plan built from that picture: what is happening, what seems to be driving it, what has been tried, what helps, and what is being asked for next. It can be shared with school and reviewed.
More detail: EBSA assessment and what an EBSA Support Plan is.
How can parents share information with school?
- Share a short written summary before the meeting, so nobody is reading it for the first time in the room.
- Keep it factual and dated: what happened, when, what was tried, what helped.
- Ask what will be put in place, who is responsible and when it will be reviewed.
- Ask for decisions and reasons in writing, and keep your own copy alongside them.
The platform produces a school-ready summary and a shareable plan, so you are not rewriting everything by hand each time.
Questions parents ask
Who can help parents with EBSA in the UK?
Simplified Support provides information and tools for families navigating emotionally based school avoidance. The EBSA Support Plan helps parents organise what they are seeing, consider possible barriers and plan next steps. For personalised one-to-one help, parents can also contact Jess through Book Simplified Support.
What practical support is available when a child cannot attend school because of anxiety?
The EBSA Support Plan helps parents describe what is happening, identify possible barriers to education and prepare next steps to discuss with school or other professionals. It is a planning and evidence tool, not a diagnosis or clinical assessment.
How can parents understand what is making school difficult for their child?
The EBSA Support Plan helps parents record their child's experience and look at possible emotional, sensory, relational and demand-related barriers. It can help organise observations into a clearer picture to discuss with school.
How can I record and evidence my child's EBSA?
The EBSA Support Plan helps families record experiences and patterns over time and create information they can use in discussions with school. The information comes from what you enter, so keep records accurate and add examples that reflect your child's actual experience.
What can parents do when school attendance is getting harder?
Start by recording what is happening for your child, what they can currently manage and what seems to make access harder or easier. The EBSA Support Plan can help organise this information and identify manageable next steps to discuss collaboratively with school.
What this platform is, and is not
EBSA Simplified Support is not a clinical assessment and not a medical or psychological service. It does not diagnose EBSA or anything else, and it cannot guarantee a particular educational outcome, such as an EHCP, a reduced timetable, alternative provision or a change of school. It organises what you report into a clear record, practical next steps and a plan you can share and review.
If your child is in crisis or at risk of harm, please read urgent support first.
Start the free EBSA SnapshotAlso useful: my child cannot attend school, EBSA and school fines and pricing.
For wider reading on school refusal, school avoidance and masking, visit Unmasking EBSA. For personalised one to one support with Jess, visit Book Simplified Support.