Is your child refusing to go back to school?
Here are your options in 2024.
If you’re a parent dealing with a child who refuses to attend school, you’re not alone. Recent data reveals that 39% of Australian parents have faced this challenge in the last year, affecting more than 1.5 million children across the country. We’ve witnessed this issue firsthand at IDEA, as the parents and teachers of young people who struggle in mainstream schooling. The good news is that while school refusal can be incredibly daunting for families, there is a growing community of educators, parents and young people accessing alternatives and advocating for change.
Understanding School Refusal
School refusal is a complex issue where a young person openly and consistently resists attending school. This reluctance can be rooted in anxiety, stress, bullying, academic challenges, or unique circumstances that make traditional schooling a daunting experience. Often, absenteeism begets absenteeism: the longer young people stay away from school, the more anxiety builds from feeling left behind both socially and academically, compounding the issue.
Parents often experience pressure from the school system regarding attendance targets, which can exacerbate their child’s anxiety and reluctance to attend school.
What are the alternatives?
There are a number of alternative options out there for your child, depending on their strengths and interests and the role you want to take in their education. Here are some options available if mainstream school is not working for your family:
Homeschooling (K – 12)
Homeschooling is one of the fastest growing education ‘sectors’ in Australia as more and more families opt to home educate their child. Far from having to go it alone, there are now a number of providers who support home educated students. These include content providers mapped to the Australian curriculum, such as Euka, and international curriculum providers that offer credentials such as the International GSCE. Homeschooling can work for students when parents are actively engaged in their learning. Parents are responsible for delivering the Australian Curriculum (or approved alternative) to their young person.
Next steps: If you’re interested in homeschooling, we recommend you join your local homeschool group (typically on Facebook) and speak with parents who have travelled this path. You can also consult your state’s Education Authority to understand your registration and reporting obligations.
Pros:
- Flexibility
- Personalisation
- Lower cost (use of third-party providers may add additional costs)
Cons:
- Requires significant parental support which may not be possible for all families
- Becomes more challenging for older students ages 15+. At this point, many families combine homeschooling with Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications, or students may elect to return to mainstream school
Online School (K – 12)
There are a small but growing number of registered Australian schools that are now offering an online option for students. These include non-government providers such as Australian Christian College Online and public distance education schools. Students study the curriculum online from home, guided by the school’s registered teachers.
Next steps: Find an online school provider and reach out to understand enrolment requirements and eligibility.
Pros:
- Students can study from any location
- Teaching and learning is managed by the provider
- Students are eligible for their state’s Senior Secondary Certificate of Education
Cons:
- Isolation from peers
- Parental supervision and support still required
- Enrolment is often limited to young people who meet a strict eligibility criteria
- Can be challenging for students to be self-motivated to complete online work, unless the provider offers significant one-to-one support and guidance
Vocational Education and Training (Typically Year 10+)
TAFE institutes and private Registered Training Providers (RTOs) offer vocational education and training, allowing students to develop industry standard skills in various fields, ranging from traditional the trades, healthcare, film and media, to emerging industries such as automation and robotics. These options are typically accessible to students over the age of 15 years. Qualifications start at Certificate I level, moving up to Certificate IV, diploma, and advanced diploma. These qualifications can be used as a pathway to university, further training or into employment.
Next steps: Find a provider and course option that suits your interests and needs. Reach out to understand enrolment requirements and eligibility.
Pros:
- Deliver industry current skills
- Nationally recognised qualifications
- Pathway to university and employment
- Low to mid-fee education option
Cons:
- Designed for adult learners and so, the learning environment and delivery model is often unsuitable for younger learners, particularly early school leavers
- As a result, early school leaver completion rates can be low
Full-time employment, Apprenticeships and Traineeships (Typically Year 10+)
Students over the age of 15 can enter the workforce early through full-time employment or apprenticeships and traineeships, which combine on-the-job training with classroom-based learning in a TAFE or private RTO.
Next steps: Connect with your local Jobs and Skills Centre to understand your options. Build your resume (there are multiple online platforms available to support with this) and start reaching out to employers.
Pros:
- Young people with a clear pathway plan can get a head start on their careers
- Apprenticeships and traineeships can be combined with other study options
Cons:
- Young people often access low-skilled employment in the absence of qualifications
- Apprenticeships and traineeship wages can be low to account for cost of off the job training days
There is hope for young learners who think differently
School refusal can be the start of a journey of empowerment and opportunity
Models like IDEA show that young school refusers are typically the exact kinds of people that the world needs: out of the box thinkers, independent, empathetic, and creative. When given the right environment, they thrive! Far from seeing alternatives like IDEA as a ‘last resort’, we congratulate families who take the steps to advocate for their young person and seek alternatives that better meet their needs.
Last year, the average attendance rate for our student cohort before attending IDEA was 23%. This jumped to over 90% in 2023. The solution is relatively simple: our young adult work environment empowers our students to take charge of their learning. Our young people also respond to the smaller class sizes, flexibility and personalised nature of the program which is tailored to their interests and needs.
Advocating for accessible options
A current challenge for families experiencing school refusal, are the limited options available and the accessibility of those options. Currently, alternatives like IDEA and home schooling do not attract government funding, and so the cost is placed on families. The entrance criteria for alternatives like online school may also require a formal diagnosis e.g. of a mental health disorder, and so accessing these options may prove challenging.
While our mission at IDEA is to advocate for more accessible alternatives for families, there are some options available to families in the short term when accessing alternatives like IDEA. For example, students at IDEA who have funding through the NDIS are able to use a portion of this funding to cover the cost of our program (the non-VET component). Additionally, we have a number of community-funded scholarships available – often donated by people who didn’t fit the mainstream mould themselves!
Where to start?
If your child is experiencing school refusal, or simply not fitting in a mainstream setting, reach out to support groups like School Can’t Australia, and Facebook community groups designed for home schooling families. You can also call the IDEA team for further advice on your options. Know that you are not alone and there are options available! Whether you stick it out, or ditch mainstream completely, by connecting with these communities, you can add your voice to the growing community of families in Australia who are seeking more than the status quo.
