One-to-one counselling and school attendance in the UK: a single group pre-post study-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

One-to-one counselling and school attendance in the UK: a single group pre-post study

Published:2024-07-29 Issue: Volume: Page:archdischild-2023-326458
ISSN:0003-9888
Container-title:Archives of Disease in Childhood
language:en
Short-container-title:Arch Dis Child

Author:

Saxton Jennifer^ORCID,Toth Katalin,Ukoumunne Obioha C,Wilkinson Hannah,White Jemma,Golden Sarah,Ford Tamsin

Abstract

ObjectiveAbsence rates remain high in UK schools, with negative implications for attainment, life chances and inequality. Reasons for non-attendance are complex but include psychosocial factors. Few UK-based studies have evaluated psychosocial interventions for school attendance outcomes or its moderators. This pre-post evaluation examined the potential influence of school-based one-to-one counselling on school attendance and possible moderators.Design and settingSecondary analysis of routine data, collected by a national mental health provider in primary and secondary schools.Participants7405 pupils aged 4–19 years, with complete school attendance records at Time1 (pre-counselling term) and Time2 (the term when counselling ended).InterventionAll participants received school-based one-to-one counselling with a trained counsellor between August 2016 and December 2019.OutcomesPercentage of school sessions attended (continuous) and persistent absence (binary; attending ≤90% of sessions) in a term. Potential moderators included sociodemographics, mental health and school engagement/enjoyment.ResultsMedian Time1 attendance was 96%. 23.6% of participants were persistently absent. The intervention was not associated with improved percentage attendance (0.028%, 95% CI −0.160–0.216%) but was associated with 18.5% reduced odds of persistent absence (OR=0.815, 95% CI 0.729–0.911). We identified five moderators of change in attendance (interaction terms p<0.05): age group (improvements for 4–9 s; worsening for 15–19 s), improvement for some ethnicities and lower parent/carer education. Mental health and school engagement/enjoyment co-varied with attendance in expected directions.ConclusionsOne-to-one counselling may improve school attendance among persistently absent pupils, particularly at younger ages. Improving mental health and pupil engagement/enjoyment are potential intervention targets. Our hypotheses require confirmation with controlled designs.

Funder

NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England

Publisher

BMJ

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