EBSNA & Anxiety
Emotional distress, panic, overwhelm or fear connected with school attendance or the school environment.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE SUPPORT
Attendance Support That Starts With Understanding the Barrier
Reconnect Learning works with schools to support children and young people experiencing persistent absence, EBSNA, SEND-related attendance barriers, reduced timetables, disengagement and difficulty returning to education.
Our approach combines personalised education, mentoring, wellbeing support, family and learner voice, academic continuity and planned reintegration to help build a more sustainable route back into learning.
ATTENDANCE SUPPORT AT A GLANCE
Support may be appropriate where:
Persistent or severe absence is becoming established
A learner is experiencing EBSNA or school-related anxiety
SEND, SEMH or EHCP needs affect access to school
A reduced timetable is no longer supporting progress
A learner is disengaged or at risk of exclusion
Reintegration or transition needs structured support
Approach
Barrier-Led
Voice
Learner-Centred
Inclusion
SEND & EBSNA
Education
Academic Continuity
Goal
Sustainable Participation
UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL ABSENCE
Attendance is often the symptom — not the whole problem
A percentage on an attendance report cannot explain why a young person is struggling to access education. Anxiety, unmet SEND needs, bullying, trauma, bereavement, sensory overload, medical needs, family pressures, low confidence or difficult previous experiences may all contribute.
For some learners, increasing pressure before those barriers are understood can make education feel even less accessible. Our role is to help schools understand the learner's starting point and build manageable participation from there.
Our Attendance Principle
We do not begin with “How do we increase the percentage?” We begin with “What needs to change for this learner to participate successfully?”
THE FOUNDATIONS OF ATTENDANCE
Sustainable attendance is built from the bottom upwards
For many learners, regular attendance becomes more realistic once trust, emotional safety, belonging, confidence and engagement begin to improve.
This is why our attendance work can include education, mentoring, wellbeing, SEND-informed strategies and gradual re-engagement rather than focusing on physical presence alone.
Consistent Attendance
Positive Engagement in Learning
Confidence, Regulation & Motivation
Feeling Safe, Understood & Included
Trust, Relationships & Connection
PERSONALISED ATTENDANCE INTERVENTION
Different attendance barriers need different responses
Reconnect 12™
Reconnect 12™ is our structured 12-week education re-engagement and reintegration pathway for learners experiencing persistent absence, EBSNA, disrupted education, exclusion risk or difficulty returning to a suitable setting.
It combines relationship-building, baseline information, academic re-engagement, wellbeing, attendance routines, learner and family voice, progress review and transition planning.
Explore Reconnect 12™ →Early Intervention
Targeted support before patterns of absence become more established or harder to reverse.
1:1 Tuition
Home, online or agreed outreach education to maintain learning while wider attendance barriers are addressed.
Mentoring & Wellbeing
Trusted-adult support focused on confidence, emotional literacy, resilience and readiness for education.
Reintegration Planning
A gradual, reviewed route towards school, a new setting or another appropriate educational pathway.
WHAT ATTENDANCE SUPPORT MAY INCLUDE
Education and engagement within one personalised pathway
The balance of support is agreed around the learner's barriers, starting point, SEND needs, current timetable, intended outcomes and reintegration plan.
1:1 personalised tuition
English & Maths support
GCSE or Functional Skills learning
EBSNA-focused support
Mentoring and trusted-adult relationships
Mental health and wellbeing support
SEND-informed teaching strategies
Routine and organisation
Learner voice and goal setting
Family communication
School reintegration preparation
Progress and attendance reporting
ATTENDANCE SUPPORT PROCESS
A structured route from barriers to next steps
1
Refer
Share attendance history, current support, risk and intended outcomes.
2
Understand
Explore barriers, learner voice, family insight and professional information.
3
Plan
Agree provision, timetable, targets and communication.
4
Reconnect
Build trust, routine, confidence and manageable participation.
5
Review
Evaluate attendance, engagement, learning and wellbeing.
6
Sustain
Plan reintegration, transition or an appropriate ongoing pathway.
WORKING TOGETHER
Attendance support is strongest when everyone understands the plan
School Partnership
Reconnect Learning can work alongside attendance teams, SENCOs, DSLs, inclusion leads, pastoral teams and other professionals supporting the learner.
Named school and provider contacts
Agreed absence and welfare procedures
Shared safeguarding routes
Clear attendance and engagement goals
Planned review and reintegration
Learner & Family Partnership
The learner's experience and family insight can help identify what is contributing to absence, what has already been attempted and what may make participation more achievable.
Learner voice and strengths
Family communication
Known barriers and triggers
Reasonable adjustments
Review of what is helping
REINTEGRATION & TRANSITION
Returning to school should be planned, gradual and realistic
Where return to school is the intended outcome, attendance support should prepare the learner for the realities of the setting rather than simply end when they walk back through the door.
Transition planning can consider timetable, trusted adults, SEND adjustments, difficult times of the day, safe spaces, communication routes and what happens if barriers re-emerge.
A reintegration plan may consider:
Starting timetable and gradual increases
Named trusted adults
SEND and reasonable adjustments
Known triggers and difficult periods
Safe-space or regulation arrangements
School and family communication
Contingency planning if attendance reduces again
REPORTING TO SCHOOLS
Evidence beyond a single attendance percentage
Attendance
Attendance, punctuality, cancellations and reasons for non-attendance.
Engagement
Participation, communication, task completion and tolerance of learning.
Academic Progress
Learning completed, starting points, progress and next priorities.
Confidence & Wellbeing
Where relevant, changes in confidence, routine and readiness to participate.
Safeguarding & Concerns
Relevant concerns communicated through agreed safeguarding and professional routes.
Recommendations
Remaining barriers, progress against goals and recommended next steps.
INTENDED OUTCOMES
Progress towards sustainable participation in education
Improved Access
More consistent participation in an agreed form of education.
Greater Engagement
Improved willingness to communicate, participate and learn.
Increased Confidence
Greater self-belief and tolerance of educational challenge.
Stronger Routine
Improved structure, punctuality and readiness for the day.
Academic Continuity
Reduced learning loss while attendance barriers are addressed.
Improved Relationships
Greater trust in adults, education and support systems.
Reintegration
A planned increase in school participation where appropriate.
Positive Next Steps
Transition to a suitable educational pathway or destination.
Attendance outcomes and statutory responsibility
Reconnect Learning supports education engagement, participation and progress towards agreed attendance and reintegration outcomes. We cannot guarantee a specific attendance percentage, reintegration date or placement outcome.
The referring school and responsible authority retain their statutory attendance, safeguarding, SEND and education responsibilities unless a lawful alternative arrangement specifically provides otherwise.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE SUPPORT FAQs
Questions schools often ask
Which learners may be suitable for attendance support?
Support may be appropriate where absence is linked to EBSNA, SEND, SEMH, exclusion risk, medical needs, reduced timetables, disengagement or difficulty returning to education.
Can support begin before absence becomes severe?
Yes. Early intervention may be appropriate where attendance is deteriorating and the underlying barriers can already be identified.
Can attendance support take place at home?
Yes, where home tuition or outreach is appropriate, risk assessed and agreed within the learner's plan.
Can online learning form part of attendance support?
Yes. Online tuition may help provide educational continuity where remote delivery is suitable and safely planned.
Can support be delivered on a reduced timetable?
Provision can be planned around agreed hours, learner tolerance and intended outcomes, while wider responsibility for the learner's education remains with the relevant body.
Can attendance support include mentoring?
Yes. Mentoring, wellbeing support, academic tuition, SEND strategies and life skills may be combined where appropriate to the learner's needs.
Can you support a learner with an EHCP?
Yes. Relevant SEND needs, strategies and EHCP outcomes can inform the personalised programme where the service is suitable.
How are parents and carers involved?
Family insight can help identify barriers, routines, triggers and strategies and may contribute to review and reintegration planning.
How often are schools updated?
Reporting arrangements are agreed before provision begins and may include regular attendance and progress updates and formal review points.
Does Reconnect Learning guarantee improved attendance?
No. We support progress towards agreed outcomes, but attendance is influenced by the learner's needs, environment, receiving setting and wider support arrangements.