FOR TEACHERS, WELLBEING TEAMS & SCHOOL LEADERS
You weren't trained for what's landing on your desk. Here's what the evidence says.
School refusal is usually a distress problem, often with unmet needs behind it. This kit gives you the research honestly, with its limits, and practical tools you can use the same day.
Created by Jules Waller: a parent who has lived this, with a social work degree and mental health placement experience. Not a clinician, and not a registered social worker.
WHY IT'S DIFFERENT
It tells you what the research does and doesn't show.
The research on school refusal is smaller and weaker than most people assume. Every finding in this kit comes with its numbers, its source and what the study can't tell us, so you can check it. Then it says the same thing in plain words, so you can use it in a corridor conversation.
In one UK survey of 947 parents (self-selected and parent-reported), 78.7% of those whose child was in current distress said school staff did not believe them. Believing families first makes everything else easier.
You do not need a research background to use it.
WHAT’S INSIDE
One kit, five parts, plus the tools that go with them.
Plus When to Escalate (same-day safety red flags), a fill-in Reintegration Action Plan, a Scripts Pack and an Evidence and Sources page.
HOW IT HELPS
Start with belief, then small, clear steps.
Distress is often what sits underneath the absence. This kit helps you check what is driving it first, respond calmly, and agree a plan that families and staff can both follow.
It doesn't ask you to act as a clinician, and it tells you clearly when to escalate.
Questions your team may ask
Clear answers for choosing and using the Staff Kit within your existing role and school framework.
You're doing important work with some of the most vulnerable children in your school.
This gives you the evidence and the tools, with instant digital access.
