EBSNA Pupil Toolkit

📘 Finding A Way Back In: The EBSNA Pupil Toolkit

Support students as they navigate the journey back to the classroom with this comprehensive, practitioner-led resource. Designed by Educational Psychology First, this workbook is specifically tailored for children and young people (CYP) experiencing Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA).

Whether you are an Educational Psychologist, a SENCO, or a supportive parent, this toolkit provides a structured framework to move from "survival mode" back into a state of "learning and safety".

What’s Inside?

This 34-page digital workbook is packed with evidence-based activities rooted in Personal Construct Psychology and the Stress Bucket model. It includes activities that cover a wide age range:

• Student Profiling & Goals: Targeted worksheets to identify "Barriers to Learning," individual learning styles, and dream careers.
• Creative Intervention Activities:
• The "My Perfect School" Activity: An adult-facilitated tool to help pupils express their views on how school could be a happier place.
• Belly Butterflies: A sensory exercise to help children notice, name, and share physical sensations of anxiety.
• The Anxiety Ladder: A gradual exposure plan to set concrete, manageable steps toward returning to school.
• Regulation Strategies: Categorized techniques for Physical, Cognitive, and Relational regulation—ranging from "Birthday Cake Breathing" to "Cognitive Reframing".
• Developmental Stories for All Ages: Age-appropriate therapeutic stories for KS1 through KS4 that introduce relatable metaphors like the "Safety Owl," "Brain-Static," and the "Internal Narrator".
• Daily & Weekly Tracking: Comprehensive mood trackers, "Internal Weather" checks, and lesson exit tickets to monitor progress and celebrate small wins.

Key Features:

• Holistic Support: Addresses the emotional, physical, and cognitive aspects of school-based anxiety.
• Versatile Design: Features activities that can be drawn, written, or even built with Lego and Minecraft to engage different types of learners.
• Action-Oriented: Moves beyond just "tracking feelings" to creating concrete Arrival Plans and Good Day/Bad Day action steps.

Primary Users

• Children and Young People (CYP): Specifically those experiencing Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) who need help identifying their "Barriers to Learning".
• Students across all Key Stages: The content includes specific therapeutic stories and reflective questions tailored for KS1 (Years 1-2), KS2 (Years 3-6), KS3 (Years 7-9), and KS4 (Years 10-11).
• Parents and Carers: Safe adults who can help the child regulate their nervous system through Relational Regulation techniques and sensory activities like "Belly Butterflies".

Note: This is a digital download. Ideal for use in schools, alternative provisions, or home-schooling environments.