What Can We Do When School's Not Working?

This illustrated handbook explores how we can work with young people struggling with school attendance to maximise their chances of a positive and fulfilled life. It is essential reading for SENCOs, educational support workers, educational psychologists, senior leadership teams, and local authorities.

Abigail Fisher is a qualified teacher and educational psychologist. She has worked with schools and local authorities supporting staff and children with a wide range of issues, including children struggling to attend school. Abigail taught in primary schools across London before training as an educational psychologist. Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist and author. She has a PhD in Developmental Psychology (Autism) in addition to her doctorate in clinical psychology, and she specialises in trauma and autism. She runs popular webinars for parents on school distress and works clinically with families whose children are not fine at school. She is recognised as an expert in neurodiversity and alternatives to school. Eliza Fricker is an author and illustrator. She is the mother of a child who experienced barriers to school attendance and gives talks to local authorities about the experience. Eliza also runs a blog focused on anxiety and school attendance issues.

Chapter 1: Not Fine in School Chapter 2: When School Meets Child Chapter 3: Creating Psychologically Healthy School Environments Chapter 3A: Three School Stories Chapter 4: When Things Go Wrong Chapter 5: What Can We Do Instead? Chapter 6: Deciding Not to Go Back to School Chapter 7: School Trauma and Burnout Chapter 8: Working with Children who are Not Attending School Chapter 9: One Step Removed: Indirect Work with Those Not Attending School Chapter 10: What Happens Next? Stories of Hope after School Attendance Difficulties Index