Engaging secondary school students can present a significant challenge, especially if the student is showing signs of withdrawing from or refusing school.
Currently, keeping secondary school students engaged is a matter of top priority in Victoria. Between 2018 and 2021, school refusal grew 50% in Victoria, with 11,825 students in government schools recorded as absent in 2021.
So, how can we engage our middle and high school students and ensure they’re doing their best in terms of attendance?
Anglicare Victoria discusses techniques for engaging secondary school students and the option of re-engagement programs.
Causes for school disengagement
In order to understand how to keep students engaged, we have to first understand what makes them disengaged. Most school refusals are linked to personal issues, such as family troubles, peer conflict, bullying or mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
It’s neurobiologically proven that students are unable to learn at their full potential if they’re not in the right headspace, or if they don’t feel safe, known and cared for at school. Children who have experienced trauma are far less likely to be in the right headspace for school than their non-traumatised peers.
To keep students engaged in secondary school, it’s vital to address these issues first, before touching on the idea of returning to school.
Keeping secondary students engaged with therapeutic services
To address the myriad of issues that school students can experience, therapeutic services are highly encouraged. Anglicare Victoria offers the Meridian Youth and Family Therapy program which is available for all Victorian families and students. Our Meridian program provides short, medium and long term support to help assist with student-related issues, including school withdrawal, bullying, anxiety, behavioural problems, grief and loss, social isolation and many others.
Re-engagement programs for secondary school students
On top of therapeutic services, Government-approved re-engagement programs are also a vital tool in engaging secondary school students. Students between years 7-10 are able to access re-engagement programs which are designed to assist students who are showing signs of school refusal.
Anglicare Victoria’s Navigator program, for example, is a re-engagement program in which students are assigned a case manager who guides them through tough periods which school and adolescence can present. Our case managers highlights students’ strengths and encourage the best in each child, making school a more positive experience. After the student returns to school, regular catch-ups with case managers help to monitor the student’s progress.
Anglicare Victoria is here to help
Every student deserves to feel confident and welcomed at their place of education. The team at Anglicare Victoria is here to help your young person overcome their reluctance towards attending school, offering therapeutic services to get your child back into the classroom. Contact Anglicare Victoria if you’d like to know more about how we can help you.
