17/08/2026
School anxiety can be easy to miss — especially when a child is still getting through the school gates each day.
They may complain of tummy aches or headaches, struggle with sleep, become increasingly distressed on Sunday evenings, need constant reassurance or unravel once they get home. Sometimes they can tell us exactly what is worrying them. Sometimes they simply know that school feels too much.
This post focuses specifically on school anxiety in children who are still attending school.
You will see EBSA — Emotionally Based School Avoidance and EBSNA — Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance mentioned because school anxiety can sometimes develop to the point where attendance becomes affected. But they are not the focus of this post and should not be used interchangeably with school anxiety.
The important message is that we do not need to wait until a child can no longer attend before we become curious about what is making school difficult.
Early understanding gives us an opportunity to identify the individual triggers, reduce unnecessary pressure and help home and school put support in place before anxiety becomes more deeply established.
I have also created a BiteSize Guide to School Anxiety with more information and practical support. Please see the visual for instructions on how to request a copy.
This week, my focus on this page will be school anxiety - follow for more content.
