FREE
Equip your staff to understand and address Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) through an evidence-informed, practitioner-led guide for DSLs, SENDCOs, senior leaders, and pastoral teams. Discover practical early intervention strategies, reasonable adjustments, and safeguarding approaches that build trust, support pupil wellbeing, and improve attendance outcomes across your school.
Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) is an increasingly significant challenge facing schools.
Designed for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), SENDCOs, senior leaders, and pastoral teams, this concise, practitioner-led guide helps school staff understand the complex factors contributing to EBSNA and provides practical strategies to support children and young people experiencing emotional barriers to school attendance.
Suitable for all staff, this resource explains what EBSNA is, how it may present, and why it should be viewed as a safeguarding concern rather than simply an attendance issue.
Developed by experienced safeguarding advisers, this resource offers clear, evidence-informed guidance that can be shared across school teams to strengthen whole-school understanding of EBSNA, school attendance, pupil wellbeing, mental health and safeguarding responsibilities.
Key Learning Outcomes
Schools will gain valuable insight into creating supportive environments where children feel safe, understood and able to engage in learning.
School Impact
By embedding this guidance across your setting, you will gain valuable insight into creating supportive environments where children feel safe, understood and able to engage in learning. Applying these practical approaches strengthens whole-school consistency, builds staff confidence in handling complex attendance barriers, and ensures your team meets its safeguarding responsibilities while driving positive outcomes for vulnerable pupils.
For schools seeking further support, we also offer more in-depth bespoke training, consultancy and staff development programmes on EBSNA, attendance, safeguarding and mental health, tailored to your setting’s needs and challenges. For more information, contact us here.
“When I was looking for a training session about Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) for a safeguarding conference, it felt that contacting Services For Education was the perfect starting point. They took the time to liaise with me about exactly what my delegates needed from the session and then presented a perfectly pitched session that was thought-provoking, informative and engaging.” Adam Cross – Principal and DSL Mander Portman Woodward College, Birmingham
Lucie Welch – Adviser, Services For Education
Lucie Welch has worked in Primary Education for over 15 years, holding a range of leadership positions including Assistant Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Attendance Lead and Designated Teacher for Looked After Children. Having worked across several local authorities and multi-academy trusts, Lucie has developed extensive expertise in safeguarding and supporting children and young people to thrive both academically and personally.
At Services For Education, Lucie is a member of the Safeguarding Team, working with schools, colleges, trusts and other educational settings across Birmingham and beyond. She delivers statutory safeguarding and training, supports organisations through safeguarding audits and reviews and works collaboratively with leaders to strengthen safeguarding culture and practice.
Alongside her safeguarding work, Lucie leads the impactful Health for Life programme across Birmingham, supporting schools to promote healthy lifestyles, wellbeing and positive outcomes for pupils, families and wider communities. Drawing on her extensive school leadership experience, she also contributes to teacher development through her previous work with the SCITT programme and as a facilitator of the Early Career Framework (ECF), supporting trainee and Early Career Teachers to build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for successful careers in education.
