Overview

Ark Globe Academy has 71% of students that are Pupil Premium and our KS4 outcomes have the smallest gap between Pupil Premium and non-Pupil Premium in the country. We are located in the most deprived ward of Southwark, where extra-familial harm is extremely high. As a consequence, we need to make sure that our most vulnerable students are monitored and provided with timely and meaningful interventions. Over the past two academic years, we have developed a Vulnerable Student Tracker that uses weighted measures to create a vulnerability index for every student at our academy. We wanted to try to provide a metric that measures a student’s level of vulnerability, so that this could both be monitored and also that interventions were being diverted to those students who most needed them.

Although ‘vulnerability’ is largely subjective, and can be formed through a variety of causes (SEND, familial and extra-familial), we wanted to try to measure vulnerability across the whole school in a format that can be quantifiable. There have been several guises of the vulnerability tracker, including amending the weightings of categories, so that we can as accurately as possible record each of our students’ level of vulnerability so the respective resources and staffing can be allocated to them.

Strategy

The Vulnerability Tracker takes into account the level of SEND, Reading Age, LAC and Young Carer status, current or legacy CP/CiN, school attendance and behaviour and whether the student has been on a respite or offsite direction. Some of these categories are more heavily weighted than others, and some such as attendance are scaled, due to the impact that they have on students not having the potential to access mainstream education. Attendance and behaviour are now linked to our MIS, with other details updated manually, which allows the academy to work proactively on complex, vulnerable and emerging cases.

This academic year, a Vice Principal and two Assistant Principals work together to maintain the tracker and all interventions that each student has have been added to this tracker. This provides us with the ability to make sure that all students receive meaningful interventions as well as monitor the impact of these interventions. We record both pastoral and academic interventions that each student is receiving or has received on the Vulnerability Tracker which includes reading interventions such as SaLT, Fresh Start and Lexia to mentoring/counselling including Place2Be, Football Beyond Borders, Future Men and a partnership with Southwark College.

Outcomes

Ark Globe Academy is the school in the country with the smallest gap between Pupil Premium and non-Pupil Premium students at KS4 and 80% of our 6th form students go to Top Third universities (compared to a state school average of 26%). Although we have a consistent senior leadership team where we know our students and families, the vulnerable student tracker has allowed us to hone our practice and also look at measurable outcomes in relation to interventions that we use/have been using.

All year groups from Year 7 to 10 have shown a reduction in the number of students who are 2+ years below chronological reading age from Autumn (95 students) to Spring (62 students), a 33% reduction. Key Stage 4 outcomes included 35.5% of students with SEND achieving 4+ crossover English and Maths in 2024/25, a 15% increase on prior year and 61% of SEND students achieved 4+ in English. At Key Stage 5, 75% of students with SEND achieved 3 A*-C (or equivalent) in 2024/25. At the end of Key Stage 3, 42% of Year 9 students with SEND achieved 4+ crossover in English and Maths in 2024/25.

Attendance of students with SEND at Ark Globe in 2024/25 is 1.3% higher than at similar context schools, and 2.3% higher than the previous year. Current SEND Attendance 91.3% as of the end of the spring term 2025/26. We have also been able to reduce fixed-term suspensions for students with SEND (particularly EHCPs) this academic year, utilising academic interventions as well as the vulnerable student tracker being a part of the cultural shift in our Inclusion department.

Resource Implications

The Vulnerable Student tracker is quality assured and amended by a Vice Principal and two Assistant Principals, with time spent on analysis every other week of students with SEND using a bi-weekly report. This is discussed at our ALT (Academy Leadership Team) meeting each week and is triangulated with our On Call analysis and Teaching and Learning reports. Therefore, there is considerable investment in the monitoring and subsequent discussion of vulnerable students whereby meaningful interventions are put in place in both a proactive and reactive way. We have also recently created a Power BI dashboard, that is in its first prototype version, that allows there to be filters by each year group and intervention so that staff are able to use this within their pastoral and academic day-to-day working as well as future resourcing for meaningful interventions.

Voice

Although our students and families are not aware of the vulnerable student tracker, they are in receipt of interventions. We do have quotes from students who have participated in Football Beyond Borders and Shaping Futures with Southwark College that can be provided if necessary – but not directly linked to the Vulnerable Student Tracker.

Overview

Enfield Council are ambitious for all children and young people (CYP) and recognise the need to evolve practice to respond to changing needs and demands which enables inclusion for all and ensures needs are met with the right support, at the right time. In a challenging time for local councils with growing demands & pressures; innovation is critical for driving positive change for residents. Enfield Council recognise the role innovation can play in improving outcomes and continually strive to explore, design & embed innovative practice.

The Enfield SEND department, were selected to join the Department for Education SEND Change Programme, which focuses piloting new approaches to aid inclusion, to improve system efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and ensuring the right support is provided in the right place and at the right time for CYP with SEND. Across the country, Local Authorities are facing significant challenges in service demand & subsequent financial challenges from the increasing SEND needs of CYP.

A key area of demand is rising for CYP who have emotional based school non attendance (EBSNA), which can prevent CYP from physically attending school and impacts on their lifelong outcomes. Support for CYP with a EBSNA profile, is individualised to meet the CYP needs, this may include: 1:1 tutoring, online tutoring, support from Educational Psychology & counselling support. Data analysis has shown a continual trend in an increased number of CYP year on year with an EBSNA profile and extensive scoping with CYP and key stakeholders, reflected the need to evolve & build on the current offer of support.

Enfield Council & Change Programme partners recognised the role digital innovation could play in supporting this cohort and following extensive research, in November 2024, introduced 10 AV1 bots as part of the system offer, to support with meeting CYPs needs and aid reintegration back into school.

Strategy

AV1 bots are a telepresence technology which can support CYP who cannot physically access the classroom. The AV1 bot is based in the CYP’s classroom and enables the CYP to live stream the lesson. Live streaming the CYPs classroom learning ensures the CYP is accessing current curriculum delivery, accessing a teacher rather than an online tutor, enables the CYP to continue social connections with peers and build links and familiarity with their school & confidence to aid reintegration.

In conjunction with the SEND Change Programme, Enfield Council invested in 10 AV1 bots primarily to support CYP with EBSNA needs however following high school engagement, AV1 bots have been additionally supporting CYP with medical needs. Following the launch of AV1 bots in Enfield in January 2025, AV1 bots have had transformational impact for CYP with EBSNA and medical needs.

Introducing a new digital offer to families and schools, was met with some understandable initial apprehension however the SEND department worked in collaboration with families and schools to understand concerns and actioned the following implementation approaches:

• Free CPD was critical to the success of the introduction of the offer, the SEND department worked in partnership with the AV1 bot provider to design training on the benefits digital innovation via AV1 bots can have for students at their school, operational and teaching delivery support
• Early adopter schools who identified students, where the AV1 bot could be of support became ‘AV1 bot champions’ and beacons of peer support & encouragement to other schools, this gave other schools confidence to trial the offer and became a key driver in the rapid roll out.
• The SEND department recognised the need for the AV1 bot intervention to be available to schools at pace to respond to CYPs needs all paperwork for allocating an AV1 bot was designed to be concise and minimal for schools.
• A communications campaign was designed & delivered to advertise the offer and build knowledge of the offer across families and schools.

Outcomes

• Since January 2025, 11 CYP with either EBSNA or medical needs have been supported with an AV1 bot.
• All CYP who have accessed an AV1 bot have increased their daily school attendance and case study tracking has shown an increase in student & parent wellbeing.
• For CYP with EBSNA & medical needs, AV1 bots have aided reintegration through a phased approach of using an AV1 bot to build confidence, build peer friendships and familiarity with the school environment which is a key factor in driving anxiety.
• The use of AV1 bots in some cases for CYP with SEND has provided support early and prevented needs from escalating to requiring statutory support.
• Students accessing an AV1 bot has had a cost prevention saving of approximately £90,000 since January 2025.

Following a full year of delivery and validated project impact, Enfield Council are currently working on the following next steps:

• Following the successful introduction of AV1 bots, a further 11 AV1 bots have been purchased to support a greater number of CYP.
• Extending to pilot, where AV1 bots will be used internally by education settings to support CYP who need regulation time outside of their main classroom. This will support CYP to remain within their school setting and continue to access learning in a quieter environment.
• The use of digital innovation is a core driver in SEND service improvement and will be utilised & further explored to drive efficiency & capacity, to support meeting the needs and deliver positive change

Resource Implications

• Implementation drew on a targeted combination of financial, staffing and partner resources. Through the DfE SEND Change Programme, Enfield initially funded the purchase of 10 AV1 Bots, with a further 11 purchased following positive early impact.
• Resource use also included officer time from the SEND service to design and manage the offer, identify suitable children and young people, coordinate referrals, liaise with schools and families, and monitor impact.
• Additional resource from the AV1 Bot provider No Isolation has been utilised to support with training for education settings.
• The resource profile has been proportionate, with early evidence suggesting that upfront investment has been offset by improved attendance, reduced escalation of need and significant cost avoidance.

Voice

Case study tracking has been embedded throughout the programme and is essential to triangulating impact, capturing both outcomes and the lived experiences of children and young people (CYP) with SEND and their families.

Year 7 student – EBSNA profile:

“I would recommend a robot. It is amazing if you look back at my report a few months ago, I was at 15% attendance. I wasn’t socialising and not doing anything at home. Using the robot made me realise that I want more than that. If I want to be successful, I need to do well with my GCSE’s. It made me realise that I want to be successful in the future. If you use it, it will change your life. You get to know children in the school classroom. You get to know how loud or quiet the classroom is, what the lessons are like and get to know more teachers”

Parent Year 7 student – EBSNA profile:

“The AV1 bot has been a life saver for X, it has made her feel apart of the school and class, attending the actual lessons with no pressure and give her time to adapt. I feel she is learning with the help of the bot which she wasn’t before. I feel that X’s outlook on school and learning is more positive and she is also more positive about coming into school”

Year 1 child with long term medical condition:

“I REALLY LOVE IT!!!! It was so nice to see my class and my teacher! I miss them all so much. I feel happy to join in with story time and speak with my teacher. They all do love hearts and it makes me smile! Being Supernova in hospital makes me smile!”

Parent – Year 1 child with long term medical condition:
“This has been a valuable resource for X! Technology has really moved on from when I was in school and its amazing that children can still be apart of the school ecosystem and community. The handy icons are perfect to show exactly how XX is feeling and a great indicator for her teachers too. Thank you for this opportunity for X!”

Overview

The SEND Impact Advisory Support Offer (SIASO) was funded through Enfield Council’s successful bid for Delivering Better Value (DBV) funding and sits within the ‘Inclusion in Mainstream’ strand of the programme. The offer was designed as part of a wider system response to escalating demand, pressure on schools, and worsening financial pressure on the High Needs Block (HNB).

Enfield primary schools reported increasing complexity of need among pupils, alongside concerns that they did not have the capacity, expertise, or structures to meet demand effectively. This had contributed to:

• Over reliance on statutory assessment routes
• Escalation from SEN Support to EHCPs
• Inconsistent quality of provision and plans

Local authority data analysis confirmed this; within the national context of rising SEND need, Enfield had experienced a significantly greater rate of growth than comparator areas. At the time of initiating this project, Enfield had the highest number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) compared with other London boroughs. The rising EHCP cohort was a large factor in the forecast High Needs Block deficit of £19.5 million for 2025/26. Without intervention, EHCP growth and associated costs were expected to continue increasing.

Together, school and local authority pressures were generating a cycle of escalating need, cost pressure, and reduced confidence in early intervention. The SIASO was developed in response to the system pressures above, with a recognition that:

• Earlier intervention at a universal and SEN Support level can reduce escalation to statutory plans.
• Schools need hands on, evidence based advisory support, not just guidance or training in isolation.
• Improving the quality of SEN Support and EHCP provision in mainstream settings is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people, and financial sustainability.

The work was therefore commissioned to:

• Strengthen mainstream primary schools’ ability to meet SEND needs
• Improve consistency and quality of SEND practice
• Improve lived experiences for children and families
• Reduce the need for statutory needs assessment requests over time
• Reduce pressure on the High Needs Block

SIASO is a bespoke, school-focused advisory programme delivered through structured, collaborative engagement with primary schools. It was coproduced with headteachers, SENCOs, parent/carer representatives, and multi-agency partners to ensure it is practical, locally aligned, and responsive to real need.

Strategy

The SIASO was coproduced through engagement with Headteachers, SENCOs, the local Parent/Carer forum and representatives from services across the wider SEND partnership, Health, and Social Care. This ensured the offer reflected the pressures faced by schools, aligned with offers from other services and was practical and deliverable.

Initially, scoping meetings were held with services across Enfield’s SEND partnership to ensure alignment and avoid duplication. This also enabled mutual decisions to be made around how to sustain ongoing communication across services once the support commenced. Crucially, this partnership working allowed for Enfield’s local offer to be understood in detail by the SEND Impact Advisor, which later made signposting and advisory work smoother and fully informed of local processes.

SENCO and Headteacher focus groups informed the decision to design the offer as a series of on-site visits over the course of a term, with adhoc follow-up support also provided. Schools also found value in communicating potential areas of support grouped into areas: whole school’, EHCP’ and ‘SEN Support’ and so this is how the SIASO is communicated to schools.

Once the extensive scoping and focus meetings took place and the offer drafted, a task and finish group with representatives from health, social care, schools and the SEND partnership was held to finalise the offer. This approach enabled collaborative scrutiny of the model, prioritisation of focus schools and alignment between schools and all services.

A targeted data led approach was taken to identify settings for the SIASO. Initial data analysis was used to identify priority schools based on levels of need, EHCP prevalence and previous support accessed. The offer was initially launched as a targeted intervention, limited to 9 primary schools per term (around one third of schools per academic year), rather than a universal rollout; this allowed capacity to be focused where impact was likely to be greatest, while also enabling learning to inform subsequent phases. The offer is now open to all schools.

The model was implemented through a structured series of engagements with each school, designed to balance strategic oversight with hands on operational support:

1. Desk based research to understand the school context
2. Learning walk and leadership meeting to identify priority focus areas
3. A written report agreeing focus areas, a plan of support and a defined cohort
4. Multiple implementation and quality assurance sessions, including:
o Supporting agreed changes in practice
o Quality assuring EHCP provision
o Case study tracking
5. A review meeting with school leadership to reflect on progress and next steps.

Rather than focusing solely on individual pupils, the approach deliberately targets whole school systems and leadership capacity, whilst at the same time addressing cohort-specific strands of need (e.g. SEN support practice). This dual focus ensures that improvements are embedded and sustainable.

Outcomes

Impact of the SIASO is measured through a combination of outcome-focused review, feedback, pupil voice, case study tracking and data analysis. This includes pre and post support surveys to capture changes in school confidence, review meetings with the headteacher and SENCO to evaluate progress against agreed areas of support and tracking key cohorts of pupils to assess the impact of changes to provision and interventions. So far, 18 schools have received support, benefiting 846 pupils identified as SEN support and 276 pupils with EHCPs.

School impact data:

• Feedback on the offer shows that the support provided has had a strong positive impact across schools, particularly in strengthening staff confidence, improving the quality of SEND provision, and enhancing pupil outcomes.
• School leaders report improvements in the quality of their provision mapping and monitoring systems, which has enabled more accurate tracking of progress, earlier identification of emerging needs, and timely adaptation of support.
• Teachers and support staff report greater confidence in understanding and meeting a wide range of needs, including clearer awareness of EHCP outcomes and how these translate into effective classroom practice.
• Targeted training for key staff has led to improved consistency of provision, strengthened inclusive mindsets, and increased confidence in using scaffolding, adaptive teaching and strategies to promote independence.
• Pupil outcomes and experiences have improved; pupils with SEND are accessing more of their learning independently, engaging in more learning tasks, and making better progress over time.
• Pupils have greater awareness of what they need, and say they feel more settled, content, and included within school life.

To quantify this impact, schools were asked to rate themselves for each focus area of support before and after support took place. On average across schools, the rating for each area improved by 30% following support. Grouping the focus areas by theme showed greatest improvement in developing pupil independence, quality first teaching approaches and developing staff mindset around inclusion; three foundational areas supporting good progress and outcomes for all pupils with SEND.

In addition, each school’s number of planned and actual statutory assessment requests are tracked before and after the block of advisory support; so far, the SIASO has delivered a 46% reduction in statutory assessment requests from the schools involved in the project. This demonstrates how the support given enables schools to meet more need before escalation to an EHCP is required. There have also been cases where EHCPs have been ceased, or where EHCP funding has been reduced, as the schools are able to meet the child’s needs without the need for an EHCP or with a lower level of funding. Overall, the statutory assessment reduction, ceases and funding reductions has saved the local authority around £392,100.00 over two school terms, helping to reduce pressure on the High Needs Block over time.

Overall, SIASO has helped schools become more confidently inclusive, with strengthened staff practice leading directly to improved independence, engagement and wellbeing for pupils with SEND, whilst also supporting the development of a more financially sustainable SEND system in Enfield.

Resource Implications

At the core of SIASO is specialist professional capacity provided through the SEND Impact Advisor role. This includes time and infrastructure for partnership working, both in the initial development of the offer and ongoing communication across the SEND partnership once work in schools commences.

Voice

Pupil voice is embedded within the SIASO model as a key mechanism for understanding impact and shaping provision, ensuring that improvements are not only evident in systems and data, but also in the lived experiences of children and young people with SEND.

From the pupil voice gathered across schools, there is evidence that pupils are becoming more independent in their learning, particularly with appropriate scaffolding. The feel they are engaging more when tasks are adapted, visual, or broken down and are motivated by opportunities for choice, creativity, and practical learning. Across settings, pupils consistently express positive feelings about school, alongside clear insights into what supports their learning and what could be improved. A strong theme across all schools is that pupils demonstrate awareness of their own needs and recognise and value the support they receive.

They describe:

• Teachers providing help when asked, explaining clearly, and adapting work
• Use of strategies such as task planners, word banks, Widgit symbols, manipulatives, and scaffolds
• Additional adult support and targeted interventions where needed

Where pupils identified challenges such as noise, peer conflict, or emotional dysregulation, they also described strategies that help them manage these difficulties.

Direct quotes from pupils with high support needs:

“School is good. I don’t care if I make mistakes now. The teachers say things to help you, what I’ve missed and what to do. Maths is my favourite.”

“School is nice, the adults help me to learn. I like writing. I have task planners. My teacher helps me to do my work. There are colourful semantics and voice levels on my table.”

“I like the teachers, learning and friends. Teachers help me to concentrate. If it’s hard, they try to make it easier. The Zones [of Regulation] are helpful, if you are in the red zone you can go to the regulation station. I’m never in the green zone…. I’m always excited!”

“The school is good. My favourite lessons are maths, science, art and P.E. Writing is easy peasy and there are sound mats and colourful semantics on the table to help me. I also have symbols and an emotion fan to help me. The food and playground is good, I love that I can play football.”

Feedback from schools on the impact of the SIASO:

‘Staff are now much more confident with creating and using scaffolding in class to support the children. Staff mindset has changed and I would say that we are now a much more confidently inclusive school. The children are able to access more of their learning independently using the scaffolds provided. They are completing more work and making better progress.’ – SENCO

‘The support has helped us to move forward with renewed confidence and clarity. Even though these are challenging times for schools, particularly in relation to SEND, I am excited to see how the guidance, challenge, and ideas will continue to shape our practice and enhance the experiences and achievements of all our children.’ – Headteacher

‘Staff confidence has significantly improved, particularly in understanding and meeting a wide range of needs. Specialist training has strengthened the quality and consistency of support across the school. The introduction of a more structured monitoring system has enabled the school to track progress more effectively, identify emerging needs earlier, and adapt provision in a timely way. For pupils, this has resulted in greater inclusion, improved engagement, and steady progress over time. Pupils with SEND are more settled and content in school.’ – AHT, Inclusion Lead

Overall

The Emotional School Based Non-Attendance Response and Outreach Service (EROS) was established to address a significant gap in support for children and young people experiencing Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA), severe anxiety, trauma-related needs and complex barriers to accessing education. The initiative combines early psychological intervention, outreach support, multi-agency collaboration, workforce development and family engagement to improve inclusion and sustain participation in mainstream education.

EROS was developed in response to increasing numbers of children who were not benefiting from traditional school-based or clinic-based interventions. Many young people supported by the service had previously disengaged from education, were unable to attend professional appointments, or had experienced multiple unsuccessful interventions. The model therefore focuses on reaching children where they are, both physically and emotionally, removing barriers that prevent engagement and enabling support to be delivered in ways that are accessible and meaningful.

A key aspect of the model is the provision of psychologically informed outreach support delivered within homes and community settings. For many young people, this creates the first opportunity to build trusting relationships with professionals and engage in meaningful intervention. Practitioners work alongside families, schools, health services and social care teams to understand the emotional drivers behind non-attendance and develop coordinated support plans that promote inclusion and belonging.

The service also places significant emphasis on strengthening mainstream capacity. Through consultation, workforce development, staff training and reflective problem-solving, EROS supports schools to develop more inclusive responses to attendance difficulties rather than relying on escalation to specialist provision. This approach enhances confidence amongst professionals, creates consistency across services and promotes sustainable system change. Importantly, EROS does not replace the role of schools or statutory services. Instead, it strengthens existing provision and ensures that children receive coordinated support at the earliest possible stage. The model is built upon shared responsibility, partnership working and preventative practice.

The overall ambition is to improve attendance, emotional wellbeing and participation in education whilst reducing the need for specialist placements and high-cost interventions. By combining direct support with system leadership and capacity building, EROS creates both immediate benefits for individual children and sustainable improvements across the wider SEND and inclusion system.

Strategy

The success of EROS is underpinned by a range of evidence-informed strategies designed to improve outcomes for children experiencing attendance difficulties and emotional barriers to education.

The cornerstone of the model is early intervention. EROS provides timely psychological insight and support before difficulties escalate into entrenched absence, crisis responses or specialist placements. Too often children are on the waitng list for services such as CAMHS or EHCP Needs Assessments, but EROS can provide immediate support. Practitioners help schools and families understand the emotional factors driving non-attendance and identify practical strategies to support engagement.

A second key strategy is outreach and relationship-based practice. Educational Psychologists and outreach practitioners work directly with children and families in their homes and communities, creating psychologically safe environments where trust can develop. This enables engagement from young people who would otherwise remain outside the reach of traditional services.

EROS also delivers multi-agency coordination and system navigation. Practitioners bring together schools, families, social care, CAMHS and other professionals to create coherent plans and shared accountability for outcomes. This reduces fragmentation and ensures services work together around the child.

A major feature of the model is capacity building within mainstream schools. Schools receive consultation, staff training and reflective problem-solving support that strengthens inclusive practice and increases confidence in responding to emotionally based non-attendance. Rather than creating dependency on specialist services, EROS aims to leave schools better equipped to support future pupils.

The initiative also provides parent and carer support through guidance, community groups and opportunities for peer learning. We delivered weekly online and in person parent support groups.  This reduces family isolation, improves understanding of attendance difficulties and promotes consistent strategies between home and school.

Finally, EROS uses Educational Psychology expertise to support reflective practice across the wider system. Consultation and supervision activities help practitioners manage complexity, maintain child-centred approaches and apply psychological understanding to multiple cases, creating wider impact beyond direct intervention.

Together these activities support a preventative, scalable and sustainable model that addresses both the individual needs of children and the wider factors affecting inclusion across the local area.

Outcomes

EROS has demonstrated significant impact for children, families, schools and the wider SEND system.

At an individual level, the service has successfully engaged children who had become disconnected from education and support services. Young people who were unable to attend school, leave the house or participate in appointments have gradually re-engaged through personalised outreach and relationship-based intervention.

One of the strongest examples of impact involved a young person who had been out of school for almost two years. Through carefully planned outreach support and gradual exposure work, the young person moved from complete non-attendance to wearing school uniform, attending learning sessions and ultimately participating in a full school day. This represented a transformational outcome for both the child and family.

The service has also enabled young people with severe anxiety to leave their homes, engage with professionals and participate in activities that had previously been impossible. For many children, establishing a trusting relationship with an outreach practitioner represented their first meaningful engagement with psychological support.

EROS has positively influenced emotional wellbeing and family functioning. Families have reported reduced conflict, lower levels of distress and improved relationships within the home. Practitioners have supported carers to manage difficult situations and provided stabilising interventions during periods of crisis.

The project has also improved children’s ability to communicate their needs. In several cases, young people were able to explain barriers to attendance and share information that schools had previously been unable to access. This resulted in more effective support planning and improved educational responses. Practitioners were able to identify barriers that had been missed such as moderate learning difficulties, which was a key factor in their EBSNA.

Beyond individual outcomes, EROS has generated substantial system benefits. Schools report greater confidence in managing attendance difficulties, increased understanding of emotionally based non-attendance and improved access to psychological consultation. The project has strengthened collaborative working between education, health and care partners and reduced fragmentation across services.

Importantly, the model contributes to strategic objectives around reducing reliance on specialist and independent provision by supporting children earlier and strengthening mainstream inclusion. The preventative nature of the service means that intervention occurs before difficulties become entrenched, reducing the likelihood of escalation into higher-cost support arrangements.

Overall, EROS has demonstrated impact through improved attendance, increased engagement, strengthened family resilience, enhanced school capacity and more coordinated local support systems.

Resource Implications

EROS has been delivered through the combined expertise of Educational Psychologists, outreach practitioners, schools and partner agencies. Resources have focused on direct outreach support, psychological consultation, family engagement activities, workforce development and multi-agency coordination.

Although the model requires specialist practitioner time, it has been designed as a preventative and capacity-building approach rather than a long-term intensive intervention. Investment is directed towards early identification, consultation and strengthening local responses before issues escalate.

The outreach component includes home visits, direct engagement with children and families, attendance at Team Around the Child meetings and coordination with schools and partner agencies. Additional resources include staff training, consultation programmes and parent support activities that increase system-wide capability.

A significant benefit of the model is that its impact extends beyond individual cases. Consultation and training support schools and professionals to apply learning across multiple children and young people, creating a multiplier effect from a relatively modest investment of specialist expertise.

By reducing escalation and supporting children to remain within mainstream education wherever appropriate, EROS provides a cost-effective contribution to wider inclusion priorities and helps mitigate pressure on specialist services and placements.

Voice

Feedback from children, young people and families consistently highlights the impact of EROS in helping individuals feel understood, connected and hopeful after periods of significant challenge.

Families frequently describe the outreach approach as removing barriers that had prevented engagement with previous services. The ability to receive support within the home environment reduced anxiety, increased trust and enabled children to participate in support that previously felt inaccessible.

Representative feedback includes:

“For the first time, professionals understood why my child was not attending school rather than just focusing on attendance.”

“The support helped us move from crisis mode to having a clear plan and hope for the future.”

“Coming to our home made all the difference. My child would never have attended an appointment.”

Parents and carers also valued the way EROS coordinated support across services and ensured their voices were included in decision-making.

“We finally felt that everyone was working together.”

“The outreach worker helped the school understand our child’s needs and gave us a voice in the process.”

Young people have demonstrated their views through increased participation, improved communication and willingness to engage with education and professionals. For some, success was reflected in returning to school after prolonged absence. For others, it was taking the first step outside the house, speaking with a practitioner, or being able to explain the reasons behind their anxiety and non-attendance.

Parent feedback from the in person and online group was extremely positive, they shared feelings of support from meeting other parents experiencing EBSNA.

Schools have similarly reported that the service has increased understanding of emotionally based non-attendance and provided practical strategies that can be sustained beyond individual cases. The consultation and training offer has strengthened confidence and promoted more inclusive responses across educational settings.

One young person shared;“ I have enjoyed working with H, she is funny and she helped me to take small steps and didn’t rush me, this helped me a lot”. Overall, feedback suggests that EROS has generated meaningful and lasting change by helping children reconnect with education, reducing family stress and creating stronger partnerships between families, schools and services.