10 Ideas to Make School Feel Safe for Children Struggling to Attend

For a child who's struggling to attend, getting through the gate can take everything they've got. If the first thing they hear is about their tie or their homework, school has just proved it's the scary place they thought it was.

These 10 ideas follow the school day, and none of them costs much in time or money. Greet the child warmly, whatever happened yesterday, and decide which battles can wait. In lessons, take away the fear of being picked on without warning, and praise quietly, with a nod or a note rather than in front of the class. At lunch, a quiet place to eat can decide whether the afternoon goes well.

Then end the day on something good, and give the family a new story to tell about school. The aim is a phone call from school that a parent is pleased to get.