Emma Sanderson, Managing Director of Momenta Connect, part of Outcomes First Group, a leading provider of world-class education, discusses exam-related school avoidance
The Exam season is a predictable pressure point in the school calendar, yet its impact on attendance is often underestimated. Emerging evidence shows a strong link between rising absence and mental health, with anxiety-driven non-attendance, often described as emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), becoming more prevalent. For school leaders, this presents both an operational and a safeguarding challenge.
Anxiety-related absence is not a behaviour issue in the traditional sense. Research from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health highlights that pupils experiencing anxiety disorders are significantly more likely to have poor attendance. During exam periods, this risk intensifies. High-stakes assessment, fear of failure, and increased cognitive load combine to create a perceived threat for vulnerable students.
This is compounded by the exam environment itself. Formal conditions, silence, time pressure, and peer comparison can exacerbate feelings of panic or inadequacy. For some pupils, particularly those with underlying anxiety or additional needs, attending school during exams becomes psychologically overwhelming rather than academically challenging.
The implications are significant. Absence during exam periods not only impacts attainment but can also entrench longer-term patterns of non-attendance. Evidence suggests a cyclical relationship: anxiety leads to absence, and absence in turn increases anxiety through missed learning and reduced confidence. Without timely intervention, short-term avoidance can become persistent.
For school leaders, the priority is to move from reactive attendance enforcement to proactive, system-level support.
A critical first step is reframing staff understanding. Embedding a “can’t, not won’t” culture helps shift responses from sanction to support. This requires consistent messaging, staff training, and alignment across pastoral and academic teams.
Secondly, schools should strengthen early identification systems. Attendance data should be analysed alongside pastoral indicators to identify patterns linked to assessment periods. This enables timely, graduated intervention before absence escalates.
Leaders should also review the extent to which exam practices inadvertently increase anxiety. While maintaining standards and compliance, there is scope for flexibility. Evidence-informed adjustments, such as smaller exam rooms, supervised rest breaks, or phased timetables, can significantly reduce barriers to attendance without compromising integrity.
Equally important is the integration of anxiety support within the school day. Schools that embed simple, consistent strategies, such as access to trusted adults, predictable routines, and brief coping interventions, create a more psychologically safe environment. These approaches are most effective when implemented at a whole-school level rather than as isolated interventions.
For pupils already experiencing difficulty, reintegration should be structured and gradual. Leaders should ensure that policies allow for flexible, step-by-step returns, avoiding “all or nothing” expectations which can heighten avoidance.
Parental engagement is another key lever. Families often experience high levels of stress during exam periods and may feel uncertain about how to respond. Clear, empathetic communication and co-produced support plans are more effective than punitive approaches in improving attendance.
Ultimately, addressing exam-related school avoidance requires strategic alignment between attendance, assessment, and wellbeing. Leaders should consider how school systems, curriculum pacing, assessment load, and messaging around success, either mitigate or amplify anxiety.
By taking a proactive, evidence-informed approach, school leaders can reduce absence during exam periods while also strengthening longer-term engagement. In doing so, they not only improve attendance outcomes but also fulfil a broader responsibility to safeguard pupil wellbeing in high-pressure contexts.
