Member's statement: School Refusal

Member's statement by Ms Cara Hunter on 11 February 2025.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

11 February 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

School Refusal

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4793322

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Last Friday, I had an event that was attended by over 50 families and young people on the issue of school refusal, also known as anxiety-based avoidance or emotional-based avoidance. Many of the parents and young people with whom I spoke on the call voiced that they have never really heard us as elective representatives talk about the issue or about addressing it or talk about addressing the needs and the wants of young people. Many parents with whom I spoke felt that they were very much isolated and alone on this topic, and many have been forced into a position where they have had to leave their job as their child is refusing to go to school. Statistics reveal that, in Northern Ireland, over the past few years, it has become an ever-increasing and more present issue, with 2023 having the worst statistics for school refusal since they began. A number of factors contribute to our young people not wanting to go to school. It is not a matter of the children being, as they are labelled, "troublemakers" but is so much to do with delays in assessments for autism and ADHD. Children feel unheard and overwhelmed. I thank a young lady called Emily, aged 13 and in year 9, who shared her story about recently being diagnosed with autism. She talked about the complexity and difficulty of school attendance and the importance of feeling that her needs are recognised in school. It is not that our young people have a problem but, fundamentally, that our education system is flawed. The system is rigid, not flexible or agile, and does not meet the needs of our young people. We need to transition to a more inclusive and understanding learning environment for children who struggle with things such as routine and therefore really struggle with the current learning environment and face significant anxiety. I was struck by a story that I heard from a mum whose young son really struggled to go to school. He is academically able and intellectual, and he loves to learn, but he had anxiety about sitting exams. As a result, he left school with no GCSEs, there is now no school place for him — only two schools in Northern Ireland offer students the chance to sit GCSEs outside our traditional system — and he has no pathway to get those credentials. That is crazy, and the House needs to be aware of it. To the parents who are listening today, I say that they are not on their own. The Education Committee will be addressing the issue this week when we will meet representatives to discuss school attendance. I firmly believe that we need to listen to our young people about why they do not show up for school and to recognise that the problem is with not them but the education system as a whole. We will do all we can at the Education Committee, hopefully, to get answers and the change that is necessary.

502 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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