The Age reported today on increasing rates of ‘school refusal’. According to the article, “The rate of school refusal in Victoria grew by 50 per cent in the three years to 2021, with almost 12,000 students in government schools – about 2 per cent – officially absent in the second year of the pandemic… School refusal is distinct from truancy, in that it is driven by a high level of anxiety about attending school.”
The article points out that, (according to the Victorian government’s submission to a Senate inquiry on the national trend) “the problem is worst in secondary and specialist schools and in disadvantaged and regional areas. There are also high rates of refusal among year 6 and year 7 students, suggesting many children struggle with the transition to high school.”