Suffolk Local Offer

Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)

EBSA is a term used to describe children and young people who have difficulty attending school due to emotional factors.
EBSA logo

It often results in prolonged absences from school, where school avoidance can be used as a coping strategy, a behaviour seen in pupils who, for whatever reason, are finding being in school difficult for emotional reasons.

For some, an avoidant strategy might be used to miss particular lessons, whilst others might resist attending for longer stretches.

Our Psychology & Therapeutic Services team have produced a range of resources to help you support a child or young person suffering from EBSA, including strategies to help you capture worries, support young people to self-regulate their emotions and ways to plan a safe and supported return to school.

Visit the EBSA pages on the Psychology and Therapeutic Services site here.