School Avoidance Awareness Week 2025

“School refusal” is fast becoming one of the most challenging areas of education, health and care for children and young people. Parents are put under pressure to ensure their children attend school, while professionals report to us they feel out of their depth.

We are dedicating this week to exploring the issues surrounding school avoidance and attendance difficulties.

How to sign up....

All of our live webinars as part of School Avoidance Awareness Week 2025 will be available to watch through the SEND Training Institute academy, which is our online learning platform. You can watch live or catch up on the recording at any time. 

Our online academy is easily accessible via desktop or app. As well as School Avoidance Awareness Week 2025, you will also find over 200 courses on a range of SEND needs. From courses on individual profiles such as Autism, ADHD, PDA, Dyspraxia and Selective Mutism to courses which explain the process on how to apply for an EHCP, what reasonable adjustments can be made to meet need and how to support families. 

Course length differs with the average being around two hours in length. On completion of each, a CPD certificate can be provided. 

The breadth of information within the Academy means this isn’t just something you will visit once. Through every new challenge that you face, you’ll be able to come onto the Academy and find the education and training you need to face it. And we are always growing with new resources added every single month. 
 

Here's the full line up for School Avoidance Week 2025....

School Avoidance - Live Q&A

To kick off School Avoidance Awareness Week 2025, join SEND Training Institute's Education Consultant Lindsay Galley for a live Q&A. She'll be taking your questions as well as telling you all about School Avoidance Awareness Week and what's still to come. 

Live on Monday 22 September at 8pm

Legal Duties Around School Refusal

This live webinar will give you a clear overview of the legal duties around school refusal, attendance and the role that special educational needs plays. You’ll learn how to use EHCPs effectively, avoid unlawful practice and meet the needs of school-avoidant pupils compliantly. 

You will learn: 

  • What the law says about attendance and SEND, including recent updates 
  • How to identify unlawful attendance practices in schools 
  • How EHCPs can support emotionally based school avoidance 
  • The LA’s duties around provision when a child is unable to attend 
  • Strategies for evidencing provision and adjustments effectively 

Live on Tuesday 23 September at 10am

Not Just Another Day Off

What does school refusal really look like and how can you tell it apart from disengagement, illness or an issue at home? This live webinar breaks down early signs, root causes and how to build a picture of need before attendance breaks down. 

You will learn: 

  • The early behavioural and emotional indicators of school refusal 
  • How to differentiate school avoidance from other attendance issues 
  • The key risk factors (including neurodivergence, trauma and transitions) 
  • Why early identification is crucial and how to approach it 
  • What to document and how to talk to families compassionately 

Live on Tuesday 23 September at 8pm

School Refusal and Attendance

Traditional attendance interventions can unintentionally escalate school refusal. This live webinar will explore trauma-informed, inclusive strategies that support school avoidance issues while aligning with policy and safeguarding. 

You will learn: 

  • Why standard attendance policies often fail for school-avoidant pupils 
  • How to implement graduated, supportive attendance interventions 
  • What does work: alternatives to fines, threats, or punishment 
  • How to communicate with families while holding clear boundaries 
  • How to track progress in a way that reflects emotional readiness

Live on Wednesday 24 September at 10am

Managing Vulnerable Transitions

Transition to secondary school is a high-risk point for school avoidance, especially for neurodivergent and anxious learners. This webinar outlines proactive planning, reasonable adjustments, and the roles of both settings in a successful handover. 

You will learn: 

  • Why transition is a trigger point for school avoidance 
  • How to design bespoke transition plans that reduce anxiety 
  • Which professionals should be involved and when 
  • What secondary schools need to know before a pupil starts 
  • How to embed post-transition support, not just a one-off event  

Live on Wednesday 24 September at 8pm

The Impact of Trauma on Attendance

For some children, school avoidance is a trauma response. This live webinar will unpack how trauma impacts attendance and what it means to adopt a trauma-informed lens - not just in policy, but in day-to-day classroom practice. 

You will learn: 

  • The neuroscience of trauma and its effect on learning and attendance 
  • Common signs of trauma-based school avoidance 
  • The difference between trauma-informed and behaviourist approaches 
  • Practical classroom adjustments that reduce distress 
  • How to support staff working with highly anxious pupils 

Live on Thursday 25 September at 10am

Staffroom Session

We know how difficult school avoidance can be to manage and while we have provided you with lots of information from experts, there's nothing like peer support.

Here we'll be holding a staffroom session - an opportunity to chat live with other SEND professionals along with the team from SEND Training Institute. 

This will be a great opportunity to connect and to learn what's working for others. 

Live on Thursday 25 September at 8pm

Connection Before Correction

Belonging is one of the strongest protective factors against disengagement yet many pupils who avoid school feel invisible. This live webinar will explore how schools can build cultures of connection that reduce the risk of non-attendance. 

You will learn: 

  • Why belonging matters more than compliance in reducing avoidance 
  • How to audit your setting for belonging, safety, and inclusion 
  • Practical ways to strengthen connection between pupils and staff 
  • How to build relationships with hard-to-reach pupils 
  • The link between school culture and school avoidance 

Live on Friday 26 September at 10am

Supporting Mental Health to Stabilise Attendance

This live webinar explores how mental health difficulties present through school avoidance and how to support pupils effectively while meeting safeguarding and attendance duties. 

You will learn: 

  • The relationship between anxiety, depression and school attendance 
  • When to refer to CAMHS and what support schools can provide internally 
  • How to support emotional regulation and distress tolerance in pupils 
  • Risk management and safeguarding considerations for non-attenders 
  • The importance of joined-up working between mental health and SEND teams 

Live on Friday 26 September at 8pm

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