It’s not a nice feeling as a parent to know that our child dislikes school. We want to protect them as much as possible and see them thrive in every way, but children can develop an aversion to school no matter how much we support them. If this happens, our responsibility is to try and get to the bottom of it and help them work through it. This private boys’ school in Surrey explores some of the things you can do if your child doesn’t enjoy school.
Ask questions
Try talking to your child about what happens at different times during the school day and who they play with or what they learn about. It’s important to listen to what they tell you and take it seriously. Ask different kinds of questions to try and coax information out of them. Make sure you ask questions in a light-hearted manner rather than interrogating them, which could put them on the defensive. If you can pinpoint the reason for your child’s dislike of school, it will be easier to decide on a strategy for dealing with it. If they won’t talk to you, remind them that you’re there for them if they do decide to talk later on.
Speak to school staff
Involving your child’s teacher or support staff in their reluctance to go to school will enable you to tackle the problem from different directions. Explain what your child has told you, or what you’ve observed if they’re uncommunicative, and ask for the school’s support in dealing with it. If you’ve discovered that your child is being bullied, for example, the school has a responsibility to deal with it appropriately. If it’s that your child is struggling with their learning, they may need more academic support. The problem could also be that they don’t gel with their teacher, in which case you could ask for a meeting with the teacher to address the relationship.
Give them some time out
Sometimes all a child needs is a break, particularly if it’s an intense time at school with tests or assessments. Of course it’s difficult to take your child out of school for any length of time in all but exceptional circumstances, but allowing them to take a personal day here or there for their mental wellbeing is unlikely to jeopardise their education.
The most important thing when your child develops an aversion to school is to make sure they know that you’realways there to help and support them.
