New research has highlighted growing concerns around school avoidance and anxiety among children and teenagers in Ireland.

Research by Barnardos found that one in five primary school children and one in three secondary school students avoid school at least once a month for non-medical reasons. Around half of parents surveyed said their child had missed school for a non-medical reason at least once during the previous year.

The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) has described the findings as “very worrying”, saying they reflect what schools are seeing across Ireland.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, NAPD Director Paul Crone said schools have seen a growing reluctance among some students to attend since the pandemic.

“There is a reluctance, a school refusal element that was not there 10 to 15 years ago,” he said.

Anxiety appears to be a major factor

There are many reasons why a child or teenager may begin avoiding school, but anxiety emerged particularly strongly from the research.

Mr Crone pointed to:

  • anxiety around social situations
  • difficulties or worries about friendships
  • anxiety about academic performance

For parents, this is an important distinction.

A child who repeatedly says they cannot face school may not simply be being difficult or looking for a day off. For some children, the prospect of going into school can become associated with very real distress.

At BetterCare, we would encourage parents to be curious about what is making school difficult, rather than focusing only on the absence itself.

School absenteeism can have many different causes, including anxiety, friendship difficulties, academic pressure, bullying, changes at home or challenges within the school environment. A young person may struggle to explain exactly what they are feeling.

Anxiety might instead appear as repeated requests to stay home, distress on Sunday evenings, difficulty getting ready in the morning, worries about particular classes or social situations, or increasing avoidance of activities connected with school.

Why repeated absence matters

Occasionally missing a day of school is very different from a pattern of persistent non-attendance.

Mr Crone warned that prolonged absence can have consequences well beyond a child’s immediate education. He referred to research showing poorer longer-term educational, employment, physical health and mental health outcomes among students who missed more than 20 days of school by the age of 13.

This is why school avoidance is worth addressing early.

The goal shouldn’t simply be to force a distressed child through the school gates. Equally, allowing avoidance to become an established pattern can make returning increasingly difficult.

Understanding why the child is struggling is an important first step.

School avoidance can have more than one cause

Anxiety may be one of the strongest themes emerging from the research, but school avoidance can be complex.

For one child, the difficulty may centre on friendships or social anxiety. For another, academic pressure may be overwhelming. Others may be struggling with bullying, changes at home, emotional difficulties or challenges within the school environment.

There may also be several issues at play, which means there isn’t necessarily one solution that will work for every child.

Parents, schools and mental health professionals may need to work together to understand what is driving the avoidance and what support would make returning to school feel manageable.

School avoidance and anxiety: when should parents seek support?

If reluctance to attend school is becoming frequent, causing significant distress or beginning to affect your child’s everyday life, it may be worth seeking professional advice.

Support can help identify what’s behind the anxiety or avoidance and give the child and family strategies for addressing it.

At BetterCare, our child and adolescent team provides psychology, psychotherapy and psychiatry support for children and teenagers experiencing anxiety and other emotional or mental health difficulties.

If you’re unsure what kind of support your child needs, you can contact the BetterCare team for a free pre-booking consultation, and we can help guide you towards the most appropriate service.