REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1599065
This article is part of the Research TopicAddressing emotionally based school avoidance: causes, consequences, and interventionsView all 8 articles
School staffs' views on student non-attendance: a systematic literature review
Provisionally accepted
- The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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The views of school staff on student non-attendance have scarce representation in the existing literature. This systematic literature review explores the perspectives of school staff on student non-attendance, synthesising findings from eleven qualitative and mixed-method papers. Using a thematic synthesis approach, the review investigates how non-attendance is conceptualised by school staff and the extent to which their perspectives reflect its multidimensional nature. School staff described the factors contributing to student non-attendance as: (1) within-child, such as anxiety, mental health, and special educational needs; (2) home environmental influences, including parenting styles and attachment needs; (3) school-related factors such as academic pressures, unsuitable curricula, and peer rejection; and (4) the emotional and resource strain experienced by school staff.Findings suggest that conceptualisations of non-attendance, such as ‘emotionally based school avoidance’ (EBSA) or ‘school refusal,’ may influence staff interpretations and strategies for intervention. Eco-systemic approaches emphasising collaborative relationships between schools, families, and external agencies are highlighted by school staff. This review underscores the need for flexible, context-sensitive approaches to support attendance, informed by clear, strengths-based terminology and increased collaboration between stakeholders. Future research should explore the integration of systemic models into school policies and address the well-being of staff supporting student non-attendance.
Keywords: school staff perspectives, supporting school attendance, school non-attendance, Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), attendance intervention, Systematic Literature Review, School well-being
Received: 24 Mar 2025; Accepted: 20 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alaimo and Kelly. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
George Alaimo, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
Catherine Kelly, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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