School attendance: Mental health problems behind absenteeism, pupils say

Liam, 14, from Newport, has a neurodevelopmental disorder and has been prescribed mental health medication by a psychiatrist, which has led to long periods of absence from school over several years.

“I never liked going to school. I never wanted to be outside every day,” he said.

“I felt stressed, anxious, nervous and obligated.”

He will not be attending school from 2022 onwards but will have periods of local authority-funded tutoring and specialist support.

“There are many things I want to achieve in the future and I need money to do them, but I feel like if I don’t have GCSEs I won’t be able to get a job that pays well.”

Both parents work in education but have had to reduce their hours to be at home with their son.

“We didn’t have many good experiences,” his mother, Abby, said.

“But if you can find staff who understand, whether that’s from their own experience or their training, they’re like gold dust.”

One pupil, Elsie (not her real name), from Gwynedd, said the thought of going to school would give her panic attacks, causing her to hide under the kitchen table or lock herself in her bedroom.

She eventually dropped out of school due to social anxiety and mental health issues.

Her mother, Fururu (not her real name), said her daughter would cry and have panic attacks before going to school.

“The worst thing is, [she] “He started biting himself, kicking his back and crying profusely,” Fleur said.

“Just thinking about going to school makes me panic – kids screaming, yelling, running around.

“Then a couple of years later, she started self-harming.”

Her daughter had suicidal thoughts and was hospitalized twice, she said.

A chronic absentee in Wales is currently defined as someone missing 10% of school lessons.

Secondary school statistics released in March showed 40% of pupils were consistently absent in the 2022-23 academic year, compared with 17% in 2018-19.

While recent monthly data shows some improvement, one Swansea school has had to make extra plans to bring pupils back.

Simon Davies, headteacher at Ysgol Gyfn Gymlagh Bryn Tawe, said: “Heads of year have been visiting homes alongside pastoral support workers.”

“I know similar things are happening at other schools.”

Mark Bridgens, deputy principal for the school’s welfare, said he was concerned about the safety of children.

“Teachers are now becoming mental health experts,” he said.

“It makes me worried when my children can’t go to school. I think a crisis is looming.”

Anne John, professor of public health and psychiatry at Swansea University, warned that poor attendance rates would affect children’s future prospects.

“If we view attendance as a symptom of other issues and don’t address it, we’re putting the problem off and letting it pile up,” she said.

Education Secretary Lynne Neagle, who chairs the attendance taskforce to address the issue, said: “It’s hard to find a silver bullet in this area, but mental health support in schools is a big part of the solution.”

“In Wales, every child over the age of six has the right to school counselling, we fund training for teachers and school staff to help them better support pupils, and CAMHS has also been set up. [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services] “It’s within reach.”

Welsh Conservative shadow education secretary Tom Giffard accused the Labour government of having “no plan to tackle soaring absenteeism in Wales”.

A Plaid Cymru spokesman said: “The task force’s recommendations must be implemented as a matter of urgency, otherwise Labor will continue to fail our children.”

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