01/05/2026
Free SCHOOL REFUSAL ICEBERG
Tomorrow many children go back to school after the holidays.
For some families, this does not look like excitement or new uniforms. It looks like tears, stomach aches, anger, shutdown, or a child who suddenly cannot face the school gate.
This is often called school refusal, but for many children it is not about refusing. It is about stress. It is a child showing that something at school feels too much right now.
What adults usually see is the behaviour. What we do not always see is the anxiety, fear of failure, bullying, sensory overload, exhaustion from coping, or past experiences that made school feel unsafe. Pushing harder rarely fixes this. Listening, slowing down and looking underneath the behaviour is what helps.
If a child is struggling to return to school, they are not being difficult. They are communicating in the only way they can. Behaviour is a message. The question is whether we are ready to listen.
Comment REFUSAL and we will send you a message with a link to a free printable PDF of this resource.
