Spot and Support Return-to-School Wellbeing Challenges

One child can't let go of a parent at the gate. Another is washing their hands until they're sore, and a third has quietly stopped turning up. After a long spell away from school most children settle quickly, but some bring worries back with them.

You'll look at 10 of the challenges you're most likely to meet, including separation anxiety, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), sleep, gaming, friendships, grief and domestic abuse. For each one you'll learn what to look for, when it's normal and when to worry, and what to do next. There are simple tools too, like goodbye routines you can plan with families, and an "I want, I'm wanted, I can" approach for pupils who are avoiding school.

The idea is to arm you rather than alarm you. You don't need every answer to make a real difference to a child who's struggling.