The scale of the problem
Across Wales, school attendance is in crisis. Despite a return to more routine education post-pandemic, the proportion of children regularly missing school remains worryingly high.
According to the Welsh Government’s January 2025 school census, there are 460,091 pupils in local authority maintained schools. Yet over one in four, approximately 123,800 children, have been persistently absent this academic year, meaning they have missed at least 10 per cent of their lessons.
Behind these numbers are thousands of children missing significant parts of their education. Not only those losing occasional days, but a smaller, more vulnerable group experiencing prolonged absence. Over the course of a school year, that 10% threshold is the equivalent of almost four weeks of lost learning. And for many of these children, there is no clear route back into the classroom. Getting back is not as simple as walking through the school gates. Their absence is not simply a matter of truancy or disengagement. The barriers are often complex, multi-layered and, in many cases, poorly understood.
Complex causes
Persistent absence is not the result of a single cause. Rather, it reflects a complex web of pressures affecting pupils, families, and schools across Wales.
Data from the Senedd research on pupil absence shows that the percentage of pupils missing school in Wales remains nearly double pre-pandemic levels, despite gradual improvement since 2021. Welsh government figures tell the same story: absence rates remain significantly higher than before the pandemic. Estyn’s most recent annual report notes that while most learners have returned to regular attendance, a substantial minority remain disengaged. For some, this is linked to physical illness or authorised leave; for others, it is tied to anxiety, mental health needs, or changes in family circumstances.
The numbers also reveal an extreme end to the problem. Around 2–2.5% of pupils in Wales, roughly one in forty to fifty children, have missed half or more of their school sessions this academic year (Welsh Government, severe absence data). This mirrors the “severely absent” measure used in England and represents the most acute cases of disengagement, where reintegration becomes especially difficult.
The reasons are often layered. Action for Children reports a steep rise in parents seeking help for what is known as “school refusal”, with some attributing it to bullying, others to learning needs, sensory difficulties or negative past experiences. For children with additional learning needs or disabilities, the risk of prolonged absence is even greater.
Yet among these varied causes lies one of the most persistent and poorly addressed drivers of absence – behaviours that challenge. These can lead to repeated exclusions, refusal to attend, breakdowns in school placements, and strained relationships between home and school. In some cases, the absence begins as a school’s response to behaviour, and over time the gap becomes harder to bridge. The effects are not limited to the child, with many families experiencing increased stress and disruption to home life.
Behaviours that challenge
For many pupils, the story behind continued difficulties attending school is written in their behaviour. “Behaviours that challenge” can range from withdrawal and refusal to verbal or physical outbursts. They are often the visible tip of a much larger iceberg, shaped by anxiety, unmet learning needs, sensory difficulties, trauma, or changes in a child’s environment.
Behaviour specialist Rob Jones, in a 2023 TEDx talk on Emotionally Based School Avoidance, explains that these behaviours are frequently misunderstood. Rather than deliberate defiance, they are often distress signals. A means for children to communicate when they lack the language, emotional regulation or support to express what is wrong.
Such behaviours are rarely static. A child who has made progress can experience a return of difficulties when circumstances change, for example, moving into a new class, working with a different teacher, or losing a key member of support staff. For a child already struggling, these changes can feel like the ground shifting under their feet.
The result, all too often, is a cycle: behaviour leads to exclusion or isolation, which deepens the disconnection from school, making reintegration harder each time. Without targeted intervention, this cycle can quickly lead to long-term absence or a complete breakdown of the school placement (Samaritans Cymru – Exclusion from School in Wales: The Hidden Cost).
The human cost
Struggles with school attendance are not just an educational problem; it is a family crisis in slow motion. When a child is facing ongoing difficulties with school participation , the impact seeps into every part of home life.
Parents often describe the experience as isolating. Friendships at the school gate can fade when absences become frequent, replaced by awkward silences or perceived judgement. Some families say they have stopped attending school events altogether because of strained relationships with staff or other parents.
The pressure extends into working life. Juggling phone calls from school, urgent meetings with teachers, or being asked to collect a child at short notice can make holding down a job almost impossible. According to Action for Children, many parents in this situation report feeling unsupported, stigmatised, and constantly “on edge”, never knowing when the next incident or call from school will come.
For the child, the cost can be even higher. Each day of missed learning compounds the challenge of returning, feeding a sense of being “different” or “behind”. Without the right support, they risk drifting further from their peers, losing confidence in their ability to succeed in a classroom, and eventually disengaging from education altogether.
It is a double blow. Families under mounting stress at home, and children increasingly disconnected from the very environment designed to help them thrive.
The lasting impact
When a child’s difficulties with attendance become entrenched, the consequences can last far beyond the school years. Ongoing barriers to school participation are strongly linked to lower academic achievement, reduced employment prospects, and a higher risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).
Estyn has warned that for some learners, the gap in attendance has become so wide that “re-engagement is exceptionally difficult”, with a risk of permanent disengagement from formal education. Research from the Department for Education shows that pupils who miss substantial time at school are significantly less likely to achieve basic qualifications, narrowing their career options and earning potential.
The risks are not limited to academic qualifications. Extended time out of the classroom can affect social skills, confidence and resilience. Friendships may fade, and the child’s sense of belonging to a peer group can weaken, leaving them more vulnerable to loneliness and mental health difficulties. In some cases, the disruption can contribute to cycles of low self-esteem, risky behaviour, and further marginalisation.
For families, the pressures of long-term absence can result in financial strain, relationship difficulties, and ongoing conflict with schools or local authorities. Without intervention, these problems become harder and more expensive to solve later.
This is why early, specialist support matters. The cost of doing nothing is measured not only in statistics but in lost potential, diminished wellbeing, and futures that could have been very different.
A tailored approach to reintegration
Supporting children back into school takes more than a timetable change or a few weeks of extra support. It requires time, trust, and a plan built around the individual child, and that is where specialist reintegration services can make the difference.
Our approach starts with understanding the why behind the challenges . Through a Functional Behaviour Assessment, we identify the triggers, needs, and environmental factors influencing the child’s behaviour. From there, we develop a Behaviour Support Plan that sets clear strategies for both the child, the school and the family.
We provide dedicated staff who work directly with the pupil, building a safe and consistent relationship that becomes a bridge back to school life. This support is flexible: sometimes it means being a calm presence in the classroom, at other times it means providing a quieter space for learning until confidence builds.
Partnership is at the heart of the process. Where appropriate, we work alongside school staff, offering training and practical guidance so they feel confident in managing behaviours that challenge. This consistency ensures the child experiences the same clear expectations and supportive responses from every adult they encounter.
The principles behind this work are explored in more detail in our earlier article on a tiered model for challenging behaviour and school refusal, which outlines how targeted intervention can prevent absence from escalating in the first place.
Not every child can, or should, return to the same classroom. For some, a fresh start in a new setting is the most realistic path to stability. But in many cases, the right help at the right moment can prevent a placement from collapsing at all. There is no single template for success; each plan is shaped around the child’s needs, their circumstances, and the environment most likely to help them flourish.
Reintegration is not rushed. Over a minimum of one year, we help the child gradually transition back into the school environment, with progress reviewed regularly. As stability grows, we fade our involvement, leaving the school with the skills, confidence, and resources to continue the journey independently.
This is not a quick fix, but it is a sustainable one. By tackling root causes, supporting the individual and equipping families and schools, it creates the conditions for lasting improvement in attendance and learning.
Why timing matters
The challenge of ongoing school attendance in Wales is too significant to be solved by attendance targets alone. Behind each statistic is a child whose story could still be rewritten, if the right support is in place early enough.
This means recognising that behaviours that challenge are not a side issue, but a central part of the picture. It means listening to families who feel isolated, and schools who are stretched beyond their limits, and working with both to rebuild trust and stability.
The evidence is clear: the longer a child is unable to be in school, the harder it becomes to return. But with sustained, specialist intervention, reintegration is possible. Across Wales, there are children who have gone from the brink of permanent disengagement to re-establishing daily routines, rekindling friendships, and rediscovering a sense of belonging in the classroom.
Every lost day matters. And so does every opportunity to turn things around. By ensuring specialist support at the earliest stage, we can give every child the chance to learn, develop, and move towards adulthood with confidence.
