Local mum hails ‘life changing’ support to address child’s school attendance

The workshop, which provides tailored advice and guidance to families whose children are persistently absent from the classroom, equips parents and carers with the skills and the confidence they need to better understand their child and support communication.

Coordinated through the borough’s education welfare service, it also helps parents and carers to learn more about the role they can play to support their children, including the importance of being a positive role model and addressing sleeping routines.

Kersty Rothwell, aged 36, described the workshop as ‘life changing’ having experienced previous attendance issues with her eldest daughter Evie.

“I was depressed and I couldn’t cope.

“I had to come out of full-time work. I was getting constant phone calls from school asking me to pick her up because she had done this, that and the other.”

Evie, who is currently awaiting assessment for autism and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), would often refuse to attend school because she felt anxious and would also make herself feel sick to avoid going in. Kersty added:

“She knew, ‘I’d have 2 days off school’, so she knew she was playing me.

“Having autism and ADHD myself, she’d say ‘Mum, I can’t cope today’ and I would say ‘Okay, no problem’ because I couldn’t physically fight the battle.

“I was emotionally, mentally drained, I couldn’t do it, so I’d be like right okay, I’ll ring up school ‘She’s been sick today’ because I couldn’t face it.”

Persistent school absence can often be detrimental to a child’s future with evidence highlighting its impact on GCSE grades, future income and employment opportunities.

But after seeing the council’s workshop promoted on social media, Kersty remembers storming in on her first day and introducing herself as a parent ‘ready to fight’.

Having spent a day with relevant professionals, including the education welfare service, the borough’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) advice service, SENDIASS, early help and Rochdale’s Parent Carer Voice, Kersty emotionally reveals coming out of the training room and bursting into tears.

“I was so overwhelmed with the help that they had offered me. They were like ‘Right Kersty, we’re going to do this.’ and every single member round that table helped me in some kind of way.”

Kersty was initially supported in getting Evie’s education, health and care plan (EHCP) reviewed to ensure her school could continue to meet her needs – a measure which would greatly help in getting Evie back into the classroom.

Kersty was also given the confidence to feel more empowered in challenging her daughter’s behaviour more effectively on days when Evie wouldn’t want to go in.

By putting the strategies and advice into practice at home, Kersty quickly began to see real improvements in her relationship with Evie.

She learned how to approach difficult situations more calmly and give Evie the time she needed to regulate her emotions after a challenging day, all of which has contributed to the 14-year-old’s attendance increasing from 82 per cent to 94 per cent. Kersty added, having previously received court warnings:

“I’m not getting letters anymore.

“I’m getting lovely messages from school saying how well she’s doing. They send them over on these little apps now saying ‘Congratulations, your child had a great term’.

“She also got a little certificate to say how resilient she is. I’ve never had that before. So now it is like, well done Evie.”

Now in year 10, Evie is about to make her GCSE options, something Kersty never thought would have been possible before she had taken this course.

“She’ll come home now and be like ‘Mum I’ve got my homework. I’m going to go upstairs and do it’ and I’m like ‘Is that my child? Like okay, well done. Amazing Evie’.

“I treat her at the end of the week. You know, ‘Come on Evie, you’ve got excellent attendance this week. Praise, praise, praise, and the workshop course has taught me that.”

It’s not just on an academic front where Kersty is seeing improvements though. Evie is also now connecting with her classmates outside of school more because she is seeing them regularly.

Kersty has seen a dramatic uplift in herself too.

“When I step back now and look at one little thing at a time, it has started to get easier and easier and now I’m like, do you know what I can do this,” said Kersty, as she explained how she has since become involved in a local parent carer group.

“A few months ago, I would have sat in there crying, with no make up on my face, my hair on my head, and I probably wouldn’t have had a shower in about 5 days.

“That was my mental health because of the strain I was under. I wouldn’t want to speak to anybody but now I’m up and about. I’m meeting new people and I’m getting my word out there in in the right way.”

Kersty now has ambitions to return to full time employment and support children and young people with SEND.

Councillor Rachel Massey, portfolio holder for children’s services and education, said:

“Being a parent is never easy, and as a mum of 2 children myself, I know the challenges it can bring.

“That is why we are ready to support parents and carers who may be struggling at home to ensure their children can have the best start in life.

“This workshop is making a massive impact on people’s lives, not only by improving children’s school attendance but in giving families an opportunity to reset and rebuild relationships with each other.

“Since the workshop launched, multiple councils have contacted us to enquire about how this can be implemented in their area too, so it’s positive to see our borough leading the way in creative new initiatives to support local families.”

The workshop plays an important role in building the self-esteem and confidence of parents and carers in a supportive and non-judgemental space.

The impact of this is really helping to support families, with attendance rates increasing by as much 20 per cent for some of the families who have taken part so far.

2 cohorts of the workshop have taken place up to now with 11 families accessing the support in total.

Families looking to be involved in this bespoke programme are encouraged to contact the council’s education welfare service for more information on how they can be involved.