Support for primary school children experiencing school attendance problems: A literature review

Abstract

School attendance problems (SAPs) are prominent amongst children and young people (CYP) in Scotland (Scottish Government, 2019b). For many CYP there are barriers to attendance: external or internal factors that make regular school attendance challenging (Ek & Erickson, 2013). It is imperative these are addressed, as SAPs have a long-term detrimental impact on CYP’s health and wellbeing, educational attainment and employment prospects (Elliot & Place, 2019; Pelligrini, 2007). Much research has focused on secondary school pupils (Elliot, 1999), despite evidence strongly suggesting the need for early identification and intervention in primary schools (Heyne, 2019). To date there has been no extensive review of the research done to address SAPs amongst primary-age children. This literature review addresses this gap, assessing intervention studies, qualitative research, correlational studies and systemic frameworks to answer the following: what does the evidence suggest is appropriate support for primary children with SAPs? This literature review found there is little high-quality experimental research focusing on supporting young children with SAPs. The sixteen articles selected during the literature search identified a range of strategies for addressing SAPs in primary-age pupils: cognitive-behavioural therapy; targeting parents; mentoring; large-scale educational initiatives; family/home relationships; peer relationships; and frameworks. The authors concluded that the strategies are a useful starting point when considering how to address the issue of SAPs in primary-age pupils. This literature review also considers implications for EP practice and identifies areas of future research.