When School Feels Impossible: Understanding EBSA and School Refusal Across Northern Ireland, more families are facing the reality of children who simply cannot attend school due to emotional distress. Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)—sometimes called school refusal or school anxiety—is not a matter of choice. It is a response to internal struggles often rooted in trauma, rejection, bullying, unmet special educational needs, or neurodivergent profiles. Children with E
