We need to understand why children avoid school

“It’s a fascinating topic to explore, because there is so little pre-existing research,” says Sigrún Harðardóttir, associate professor in social work at the University of Iceland. Sigrún used to be an upper secondary school social worker and now teaches at the UI Faculty of Social Work, including a course on school social work. She is currently working on a study about school avoidance in Icelandic compulsory school pupils, together with her colleagues at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Department at Landspítali University Hospital (BUGL). According to the results of a 2019 survey conducted by the Welfare Watch project, which have been published on the Government of Iceland website, around 2.2% of compulsory school pupils exhibit school avoidance behaviour. According to Sigrún, the problem of school avoidance could be extremely widespread, and there is probably a different reason behind each case.

Despite that, there are two broad categories of children with school attendance problems: those who play truant as an act of rebellion or defiance and those struggling with emotional issues. The results of the Welfare Watch survey show that poor mental health, such as anxiety and depression, may cause school avoidance. The amount of leave requested by parents and guardians has also increased significantly, and the majority of school leaders who took part in the study believed that parents were given too much leeway to keep their children out of school.

Research with great significance for children’s wellbeing

Sigrún believes this is an area of research that has great significance for children’s long-term wellbeing. The aim of the current study is to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and raise awareness of resources that could help meet the needs of these children. Many municipalities have introduced certain procedures to respond to the problem at different levels. Once a child has missed a specified number of school days, the school is required to report the matter to Child Protection Services. Unfortunately, this rule is not always implemented consistently, and the problem may get worse so that when action is finally taken, the child requires significant specialised support and treatment.

It is important to tackle school avoidance in the early stages, rather than letting it develop into a bigger issue. For example, some children struggling with school avoidance are referred straight to third-level services such as BUGL, since they need specialised support and evaluation and/or assessment of needs that possibly could have been met earlier, thereby avoiding the problem. The study has also revealed that schools often don’t have good enough attendance monitoring procedures, which of course are absolutely key. 

Sigrún says that some schools have found an effective way to build stronger relationships with children and help them attend school. “Staff divide the children who have attendance problems between them, welcome them in the mornings and say goodbye at the end of the school day,” she explains.
 

Research methodology and results

This is a qualitative research study, which means it is focused on developing a deeper understanding of the causes of the problem.  “Interviews have been conducted with school leaders and teachers in Reykjavík and also professionals at service centres/social services. Interviewees seemed to agree that more professionals should be working in compulsory schools to provide support and meet children’s needs when they are struggling,” says Sigrún. 

She points out also that the study shows that teachers are under a lot of pressure in their jobs, and some feel that they have to take on the role of psychologist as well as doctor to meet the children’s needs. This means that they are unable to devote sufficient energy to teaching the actual curriculum. She notes that, thanks to the so-called Prosperity Act, more school social workers have been recruited in compulsory schools, which highlights the need for additional professionals.  The Act was designed to promote children’s wellbeing and ensure that children and parents have easy access to integrated services if they need them.

Sigrún argues that it is important for school staff to be aware of the different forms of school avoidance and for them to respond appropriately. “We also need to strengthen the school-parent relationship in order to prevent school avoidance. Researches like this one is incredibly significant for the future for children and society as a whole,” she concludes.