Children as young as four are refusing to attend school in Perth and Kinross as a result of separation anxiety or school phobia according to a Freedom of Information request uncovered by Murdo Fraser MSP.
School refusers are defined as children who display an extreme determination not to attend school as a result of separation anxiety and other mental health related issues. They are not classed as home schooled and receive a limited education.
The number of children displaying this behaviour has doubled in Perth and Kinross, where there are now over 200 school refusers in both Primary and Secondary education- up from 108 in 2011.
Murdo is calling for the Scottish Government to do more to combat this problem by helping parents understand the symptoms and possible fixes for these issues.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“Over 200 school children in Perth and Kinross are not getting a proper education as a result of anxiety or school phobia related issues, which is nearly double the numbers suffering with these conditions in 2011.
“The fact that there are nearly 40 primary school children classed as school refusers is concerning since this means kids as young as four could be too worried to go to school.
“Both the Scottish Government and Perth and Kinross Council must get to the bottom of this otherwise the number of children missing out on education will only continue to rise.
“Without access to a proper education the life chances of these children are greatly reduced and I would like to see a proper strategy to tackle this growing issue.”