Masking and Barriers to Attendance

Masking and an inability to attend school.. (I hate the term ‘school refusal’ as it’s like adults having a vomiting virus and a boss saying they are refusing to work..)

It’s strange when you get to read a full set of reports, as we do daily. I have an appeal case at the moment where the parent and health views are so similar and then in school the child presents completely differently. Apart from the name and date of birth, it could be a different child.

In almost all cases we see children are masking to some extent at school. I see it when I’m delivering respite and enabling too. Confirming to me in different settings for everyone is important. We all behave differently in the gym than in a 5star restaurant, but masking is an entirely different thing.

Children who are telling school they are happy and fine, then coming home and having meltdowns, attacking themselves and others, self harming, suicidal..

How can this be better understood in schools?

It’s the key to improving young lives, reducing suicide rates and self harm and opening up opportunities for an individuals future.

It is so common that it has to be a top priority to learn more about this and how better to support children to feel safer in school to remove their mask.