School Distress Pattern Log
Which days, which parts of the day and what happened immediately before — the structured record schools and clinicians ask for and almost no family arrives with.
A school distress record is far more useful to a SENCO or clinician when it separates which weekday, which part of the day and what happened immediately before, because distress clustered on one day usually points at the timetable while distress spread across the week does not.
School Distress Pattern Log
How to use it
- Record on the day, not from memory at the weekend.
- Log where the episode happened, not how bad it was — location is the part professionals can act on.
- Keep going for at least four weeks before drawing anything from it.
- Take the pattern, not the diary, to the meeting.
Frequently asked
What is emotionally-based school avoidance?
It is the term now widely used in place of "school refusal" for a child who cannot attend school because of anxiety or distress rather than choosing not to. The change in language matters because the old term framed it as behaviour to be sanctioned, and the evidence is that sanctions make it worse.
Why does the record matter so much?
Because schools and clinical services act on patterns and dates, not on descriptions. A parent who arrives with "he has been struggling for months" and a parent who arrives with eleven dated Monday mornings get very different meetings, and only one of them can be acted on.
Does a pattern here mean anything about a diagnosis?
No. Nothing on this page indicates or rules out any condition. It shows you when and where distress happens so the adults around a child can look at the right thing.
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