‘I Can’t Go to School, It Isn’t a Won’t’: Lived Experiences of Neurodivergent Children's School Anxiety Within the UK's Systemic Crisis

The UK education system is in crisis, manifesting in increasing anxiety and non-attendance among Neurodivergent children. Existing research has identified school-based factors but has neglected systemic mechanisms. Our multi-perspective qualitative study explored school anxiety through the lens of neuro-normative epistemic injustice – knowledge positioning Neurotypicality as superior and default. We conducted focus groups incorporating innovative creative methods with 31 individuals with experience of school anxiety, including Neurodivergent children ( n = 8, aged 10–16), adults ( n = 5), parents ( n = 8) and professionals ( n = 10). We utilised participatory research methods, incorporating Neurodivergent input throughout. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we found neuro-normativity central to an inaccessible, anxiety-evoking system. Inflexible structures and under-resourcing gatekeep support until crisis or diagnosis, constraining parents and educators and fostering mutual blame. This system legitimises rejection by peers and teachers, compounding distress. Navigating such harm results in illness, trauma and non-attendance. Meltdowns and shutdowns emerge but are often penalised. Where authenticity is unsafe, camouflaging has catastrophic mental health consequences. Withdrawal, therefore, becomes necessary for self-preservation. Our findings highlight the urgency of re-conceptualising school anxiety and non-attendance as rational responses to systemic harm. Meaningful change requires systemic and cultural transformation – involving policy and pedagogy – grounded in the epistemic inclusion of Neurodivergent individuals. Lay Abstract Many Neurodivergent children in the UK experience high levels of school-related anxiety, often leading to illness, distress and being unable to attend school. While some research has looked at school-based factors, none have explored how the wider education system contributes to this crisis. In this study, we spoke with 31 people who have direct experience of school anxiety, including Neurodivergent children and adults, parents and teachers. We used creative, participatory methods to ensure that Neurodivergent voices were central to the process. Our findings show that the education system is not designed with Neurodivergent children in mind. Instead, it often expects children to behave and learn in ways that reflect Neurotypical values. Support is difficult to access unless a child is already in crisis or has a diagnosis. Schools are under pressure and often react in rigid ways, which can lead to children being blamed or excluded for behaviours linked to their distress. Children who try to hide their difficulties to avoid being punished can become severely unwell. Withdrawal from school is, therefore, not about refusal – it is a necessary act of self-protection. This research challenges the idea that school anxiety and non-attendance are caused by individual weaknesses. Instead, it shows how the system itself creates distress. We call for urgent changes to how schools and policies understand and support Neurodivergent learners, by listening to those with lived experience and creating education systems that value different ways of being and learning.