Student disengagement is a growing problem in Victorian schools. Between 2018 and 2021, school refusal grew 50% in Victoria, with 11,825 students in government schools recorded as absent in 2021.
If your child is becoming disengaged with school, there are things you can do to help, and there are services available to provide assistance.
In this post, the team at Anglicare Victoria discuss how to deal with disengaged students.
Signs your child is disengaging from school
Spotting the early signs of a disengaged student is key to addressing the issue before it gets worse. Some of the signs of a disengaged student include:
- Anxiety or distress about attending school
If your child has openly expressed their anxiety or distress about going to school, it’s a sign that they’re disengaging.
- Complaints about physical illness the night before school
When children are disengaging from school, they often complain about feeling ill the night before going to school. These symptoms, such as headaches and nausea, can be genuinely caused by school disengagement, or they can be exaggerated.
- Refusing to get out of bed
Many children feel their bed is a safe place. Refusing to get out of bed is a sign that they don’t want to leave this safe space, and that school represents somewhere they don’t feel safe.
What you can do about student disengagement
As a parent or carer, there are measures you can take when you’re dealing with a disengaged student. These include:
- Speaking to the school
Staff should be on the look-out for signs of a disengaged student, and it’s likely that they have already picked up on your child’s withdrawn nature. Speaking to the school is one of the first steps to addressing student disengagement. By working with school staff to understand your child’s reasons for disengaging from school, your child will gain an extra pillar of support – especially if there are one or two teachers in particular for whom your child has respect.
- Contact the regional education office
If your child is still disengaging from school, it might be time to contact the regional education office. Each regional office has a team of specialists in school withdrawal who can assist your child in getting the right support and hopefully get them back on track with school attendance.
- Contact Anglicare Victoria
Anglicare Victoria is also here to help. We offer a variety of family and parenting support available for families and carers all over Victoria. Our Meridian Youth and Family Therapy program can help address issues such as student disengagement.
Anglicare Victoria can provide expert assistance if your child is a disengaged student. Through our Meridian Youth and Family Therapy program, we strengthen relationships and improve family functioning while also focusing on the evolving needs of the young person. Many of the families referred to this program want to find solutions to their problems and we know that each person in the family is impacted differently when there are worries, problems or conflict and communication difficulties. Contact Anglicare Victoria to learn more about how we can assist you.
