Neurodivergent Pupils’ Experiences of School Distress and Attendance Difficulties

Evidence suggests that neurodivergent pupils are disproportionately impacted by school distress and attendance difficulties in mainstream schools in the United Kingdom. Research on school distress and attendance has predominantly consulted parents and teachers and neglected the pupil voice. This qualitative, online interview study involved neurodivergent adolescents (n = 30; 11–16 years), who were currently experiencing school distress and attendance difficulties, to understand their lived experiences. Using thematic analysis, the interviews highlighted that there was significant variability, but multiple factors such as sensory differences, uncertainty at school, social challenges, poor neurodiversity understanding and a lack of an appropriate alternative to mainstream schools, commonly coalesced to create distress. The wide-ranging impacts of school distress extended far beyond attendance. The young people did not feel that the current education system met their needs. The results contribute to considering how best to support neurodivergent pupils experiencing school distress and attendance difficulties in mainstream schools. Lay Abstract There is currently a UK school attendance crisis and research suggests that neurodivergent pupils are particularly impacted. Neurodivergent pupils can experience emotional distress at school more often than their neurotypical peers and this distress can be associated with attendance difficulties. Research has mostly consulted parents and teachers, but the current study interviewed 30 neurodivergent 11- to 16-year-olds in UK mainstream secondary schools who were all experiencing school distress and attendance difficulties with the aim of learning from their experiences. The young people highlighted multiple factors such as sensory differences, frequent uncertainty at school, social challenges and a lack of neurodiversity awareness (to name a few), that could all contribute to their experiences, but that school distress could vary significantly between pupils. Some pupils struggled to get to school in the mornings and others were anxious in the evenings. Some young people self-harmed or experienced significant emotional wellbeing difficulties. Young people did not feel understood or supported, but they did not feel that there was a viable alternative to their current school. The results contribute to considering how best to approach the current UK school attendance crisis in mainstream schools that we know to be disproportionately impacting neurodivergent pupils.