Dr Sarah Ward, Educational Psychologist at One Education, has published her doctoral research that explores the implementation of whole school guidance for Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSN). The research took place while she was a Trainee Educational Psychologist (TEP) at The University of Manchester. Since publishing her research, there has been a shift in terminology, and Manchester now uses the term ‘emotional barriers to school attendance’ (EBSA).
Sarah has used her research and knowledge of the subject area to develop updated guidance, along with Abigail Sterne, Educational Psychologist at One Education, Manchester City Council, and parents. This will be made available on the MCC website.
This research was commissioned by an LA educational psychology service (EPS) in the Northwest of England. Following concerns that an increasing number of children were finding it difficult to attend school, the EPS had issued guidance to support schools in early and effective identification and intervention. Research was carried out to understand how the guidance was used in a secondary school.
The researcher held meetings with action research and stakeholder groups, which consisted of school staff members, the chair of governors, an education welfare officer, and an educational psychologist from the commissioning LA.
Content analysis was used to identify what school staff perceived to be the key factors influencing the EBSN guidance in their school context. These included:
- Leadership and compatibility of practice and expectations
- Staff knowledge, perceptions and attitudes
- Resources
For schools, the paper highlights the importance of collaboration with parents and external agencies. Schools are encouraged to consider how to build these relationships before they are needed, which should help to reduce the time taken to identify and address EBSN.
The article was written by Dr Sarah Ward, Educational Psychologist at One Education, and co-authored by Dr Catherine Kelly, Educational Psychologist and Tutor at The University of Manchester.
Read the full article here: https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpsecp/41/1/111
For further reading, a literature review of the barriers and facilitators to implementing whole school mental health and wellbeing interventions can be found in Sarah’s thesis.
One Education EPs are actively involved in research and regularly contribute to professional practice via peer-reviewed professional journals and conferences. Taking part in research ensures our EPs can explore new ideas and engage in critical reflection, whilst drawing on the latest evidence to inform practice, shape policy, and set strategy.
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