Recognising and Responding to Early Emotional Barriers to School Attendance in Primary Schools: Parent and School Staff Perspectives

Gates, Charis (2026) Recognising and Responding to Early Emotional Barriers to School Attendance in Primary Schools: Parent and School Staff Perspectives. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This thesis explores how early Emotional Barriers to School Attendance (EBSA) are recognised, understood and responded to within primary school contexts. It adopts an ecological and relational perspective, positioning EBSA as an emerging process shaped through interactions between children, families and school systems, rather than as an individual difficulty.

The first chapter presents a semi-systematic literature review examining how EBSA has been conceptualised, with particular attention to early identification, ecological influences and professional responses. The review highlights a shift towards relational and preventative approaches, while identifying a gap in research exploring early-stage EBSA within primary settings.

The second chapter outlines an empirical study involving semi-structured interviews and a focus group with parents and school staff, alongside a small-scale survey to provide contextual insight. Survey findings indicated patterns of risk and resilience across child, family and school domains, with a trend for boys and older children to experience higher levels of risk and lower levels of resilience. Reflexive Thematic Analysis of the qualitative data identified EBSA as a subtle and evolving process, reflected in early indicators such as anxiety, somatic complaints and fluctuating engagement. The findings emphasise the importance of relational safety, flexible school responses and the influence of wider systems, particularly during transitions.

These findings informed the development of the SENSE framework, which integrates relational, emotional and systemic factors to support early identification and intervention in practice.

The final chapter reflects on the research process, including methodological decisions, limitations and professional learning. Overall, the study contributes to an understanding of EBSA as a relational and ecological process, and highlights the importance of early, contextually informed approaches within educational psychology practice.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	14 Oct 2026 12:47
Last Modified:	14 Oct 2026 12:47
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104778
DOI:

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