This article summarises Australian parliamentary research and published academic work on school attendance problems. It is general information, not a substitute for individual advice from your school, GP or a mental health professional.
“School refusal” describes a pattern where a child or teenager experiences such distress about attending school that they cannot get there, or cannot stay. It is one of the most searched-for parenting concerns in Australia since the pandemic, and one of the least understood. This guide sets out what the research says about why it happens and what helps.
The Australian Parliamentary Library’s research paper on school refusal (Clark, 2023) draws a clear distinction. In school refusal, the absence is driven by emotional distress, parents know about it, and they are usually trying hard to get their child to school. Truancy, by contrast, is typically concealed from parents. The difference matters because responses designed for truancy, particularly punitive ones, are not supported by evidence for school refusal. The paper reports no evidence that fines or court orders improve attendance for individual students.
The research consistently finds that school refusal is a symptom with many possible drivers rather than a single condition. Common contributors identified in the parliamentary research include stressful life events, school transitions (particularly the move to high school), bullying, friendship difficulties, academic pressure, family separation and separation anxiety. Notably, between 50% and 80% of children experiencing school refusal meet criteria for one or more anxiety disorders (Clark, 2023).
Researchers also describe how the pattern maintains itself: staying home relieves anxiety in the short term (negative reinforcement) and can be more pleasant than school (positive reinforcement), which makes each subsequent return harder.
The clearest finding across the literature is that early identification and intervention matter most. The longer a student is absent, the harder the return becomes. If your child is beginning to resist school, treat the first weeks as the window for action rather than waiting for the pattern to settle.
Kearney’s multi-tiered model (2016), cited in the parliamentary research, recommends responses matched to each student’s contributing factors rather than a standard script. A child avoiding a bully needs a different plan from a child with separation anxiety.
Graduated return plans, a designated safe person or space at school, and regular parent-school communication feature in most recommended approaches. Positive family processes, including support, clear boundaries and age-appropriate autonomy, are associated with lower absenteeism.
Given how often anxiety disorders sit underneath school refusal, psychological support for the young person, commonly cognitive behavioural approaches, is a core part of most intervention models. Your GP can advise on a mental health care plan.
WAYS Youth & Family supports young people across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Our Wellness Centre provides counselling and family support for young people aged 12 to 24, with self-referral and family referral accepted. For students for whom mainstream schooling is not working, WAYS Secondary is a small, registered alternative high school in Bondi for Years 7 to 12. Call 02 9365 2500 to talk through options.
If a young person is in immediate danger, call 000. For urgent support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (available 24/7).
Need support? The WAYS Wellness Centre offers free counselling and support for young people aged 12 to 24 in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
