Pupils with mental health needs
The DfE's guidance identifies that schools have a central role to play in:
- enabling pupils to be resilient
- to actively promote their mental health and wellbeing
Pupils with mental health needs may exhibit behaviours that present a barrier to their learning and engagement in school. Behaviours could appear as negative and challenging, including:
- refusal to engage with learning opportunities
- non-co-operation with school staff
Alternatively, a pupil may present as withdrawn, anxious and isolated. The school environment should be a significant protective, not a risk factor, for young people with mental health issues. Governors and school staff should consider this in their responses to such behaviours.
Some pupils experiencing a period of poor mental health may also self-harm. School staff should be aware of and robustly follow their safeguarding duties wherever this is the case. The Lincolnshire Children's Safeguarding Partnership model policy on banned items provides advice to schools on responding to incidents where a pupil is found in possession of banned items for the purpose of self-harm.
Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) pathway
Where schools are informed of a pupil's mental health needs, schools should not delay in putting support in place. We recognise that pupils exhibiting poor attendance driven by mental health needs or heightened anxiety present schools with many challenges. Many of the interventions and support schools can provide are dependent upon the pupil's attendance and engagement with school.
However, building on positive home-school and peer-to-peer relationships can have significant positive outcomes. For many pupils this will provide appropriate level of support. Schools must actively demonstrate flexibility and be innovative in how they scaffold the support for these pupils.
Our EBSA pathway clarifies what schools can expect of the LA and what the LA must expect from schools in relation to their duties. This, in turn, guides all stakeholders, not least children and families, in understanding what support they should expect to receive, when, where and from whom.
The EBSA pathway is a graduated response meaning it follows an assess-plan-do-review cycle. It is focused on supporting schools in relation to:
- meaningful and robust early intervention through effective whole school systems
- clear understanding of individual needs and contexts
- collaborative, person-centred working with parent and carers and the child or young person
The pathway considers each stage of EBSA. From indicators of risk of EBSA, through early indicators of EBSA to EBSA occurring, and provides steps to be taken. The EBSA pathway is a wraparound approach of proactive support. Throughout this is the emphasis on the need for a return to school, alongside:
- support strategies and interventions
- adaptations within the school and home environment
This graduated process is underpinned by the support available to schools from our children's services and relevant health professionals. Direct support regarding the EBSA pathway can be accessed via the pupil reintegration team (PRT).