What should be in a school attendance support plan when anxiety is affecting attendance?

If your child is experiencing severe anxiety, distress or Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), the school should work with you to understand the barriers and put support in place. In England, the Department for Education expects schools to take a supportive approach when a pupil’s attendance is affected by social, emotional or mental-health issues.

However, parents often find that “support plans” lack detail. A plan that simply says a child will “try to come in” or that staff will “check on them” is not a plan; it is an intention. A genuine support plan needs specific, measurable actions.

The four essential parts of a support plan

A workable attendance support plan does not need to be a fifty-page legal document, but it must be clear enough that everyone—including your child—knows exactly what will happen.

1. A named, reliable contact

Your child needs to know exactly who they can go to when they feel overwhelmed. The plan should state:

• The name of the primary contact person (such as a specific TA, pastoral lead or form tutor).
• The name of a backup contact if the primary person is absent.
• Exactly where and how your child can find them during the day.

2. One clear, initial adjustment

It is rarely effective to try to fix every pressure point at once. The plan should identify the most significant immediate barrier—such as the morning handover, the dining hall or a specific transition—and agree one practical adjustment to test.

• Instead of: “Reduce pressure.”
• The plan should say: “Child will arrive at 08:45 via the quiet side entrance and go directly to the library with [Named Contact].”

3. A defined support response

The plan must agree what staff will do if your child becomes distressed. This prevents the school reacting differently each time or expecting the child to manage their own distress without help.

• What signs of distress should staff look out for?
• What action will the school take (e.g., offering a quiet space, removing a demand, contacting home)?
• How and when will you be contacted?

4. A short, fixed review date

An open-ended plan is difficult to evaluate. A support arrangement should be treated as a trial. Set a clear start date and a short review point—often 10 to 14 days later—to discuss what helped and what needs changing.

What if the plan does not work?

If the agreed adjustments do not improve the situation, or if the school cannot deliver them, the review meeting is the time to ask a wider question. The failure of a support plan is not the failure of the child; it is evidence that different or more substantial support is needed.

At the review point, you may need to discuss whether your child requires formal SEN Support, whether an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) should be requested, or whether independent professional advice is necessary.