02/11/2025
After Half Term - A Gentle Reminder ❤️👇🏼
It’s that time again, the posts are going up: “Back to school!”
Uniforms lined up, lunchboxes ready, smiles for the photos.
But let’s take a moment for the families whose half term didn’t bring rest,
for the ones where “back to school” means meltdowns, panic, and sleepless nights.
For the children who want to go, but can’t.
The ones frozen by anxiety, sensory overload, or unmet needs that still haven’t been supported.
Sometimes you may not even have unpicked what the root cause is, and that’s ok.
For the parents who’ve spent the week trying to rebuild their child’s sense of safety-
knowing that come Monday, it might all unravel again.
Let’s be clear:
School attendance issues are not always about “bad parenting” or “lack of discipline.”
They’re about environments that aren’t accessible.
Systems that ignore SEND.
Support that comes too little, too late.
Instead of punishments and fines, we need understanding.
Instead of attendance officers, we need proper support plans.
Instead of “just get them in,” we need to ask why they can’t.
Legal, Reasonable Adjustments You Can Ask For (under the Equality Act 2010):
These aren’t favours- they’re rights.
If your child has SEND, schools must make reasonable adjustments to help them access education.
Here are some examples:
• A flexible or reduced timetable, shorter days or later starts if full days cause distress.
• A safe or calm space, somewhere your child can decompress when overwhelmed.
• Part-time or phased returns- especially after illness, trauma, or school-related anxiety due to time away.
• Sensory accommodations - such as ear defenders, soft lighting, fidget tools, or movement breaks.
• Adjusted uniform rules- for sensory comfort (e.g., softer fabrics, no ties).
• Alternative ways to record learning, using a laptop, voice notes, or drawings instead of handwriting.
• Extra adult support — a key worker, teaching assistant, or familiar staff member for transitions. Sometimes called a Safe person.
• Exemption from assemblies, PE, or loud environments- when these trigger anxiety or sensory overload.
• Communication adjustments — like visual timetables, social stories, or advance notice of changes.
• Remote or hybrid learning options, when in-person attendance is temporarily not possible/ flexi schooling.
•smaller class sizes- 30 plus sometimes per class does not enable teachers to provide support for individual needs, this can also contribute to overwhelm.
Because every child deserves an education that fits them,
not one that forces them to break themselves just to fit in.
So if your child struggles to go back after half term, know this:
you’re not alone.
You’re not failing.
And your child isn’t “defiant” or “lazy.”
The system just wasn’t built with them in mind.
Keep advocating.
Keep protecting their peace.
And remember, attendance means nothing if a child isn’t okay, a child won’t learn anything being in survival mode.
With Love, Michaela ❤️🫂❤️
