Across Australia, schools and families are feeling the weight of a growing problem.
More young people are struggling to come to school, stay connected, cope with the day, or see school as a place where they feel safe, understood and able to succeed. And while attendance is one of the clearest places this is showing up, the national conversation cannot stop at attendance alone.
Because behind attendance decline, school refusal and disengagement, there is often a much deeper story. Anxiety. Overwhelm. Distress. Disconnection. Relational rupture. A loss of belonging. Friendship difficulties. Cyberbullying. Family stress. A growing sense in some young people that school feels too hard, too unsafe, too exposing, or simply too much.For many neurodivergent young people, these challenges can be amplified, as differences in how they process, experience and respond to the world are not always understood or supported within traditional school environments.
National Check-In Week is shining a spotlight on these realities because schools, families, communities and decision-makers need clearer insight into what young people are experiencing now and stronger ways to respond.
The urgency is reflected in the national data. ACARA reports that in 2025 the attendance rate for students in Years 1–10 was 88.8%, and only 62.1% of students attended school at or above 90% of the time. Attendance rates and attendance levels were also lower in remote areas and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and they have still not returned to pre-COVID levels. ACARA also states plainly that attendance is a key indicator of student engagement.
But attendance data alone does not tell the whole story.
For many young people, disengagement is not only about academic struggle or anxiety in isolation. It can also be about friendship breakdown, fear of peer judgment, social exclusion, online conflict spilling into the school day, and not having the social confidence or emotional regulation needed to feel secure with others. That is why peer relationships and digital life have to be part of this conversation. National Check-In Week highlights that 38% of Australian children aged 10–17 experienced cyberbullying in the past 12 months, while eSafety reports cyberbullying complaints have surged by more than 450% in five years, with children starting secondary school making up more than a third of reports.
This is not only being felt in schools. Families are feeling it too.
Parents and carers are often the first to see the struggle building: the tears before school, the Sunday night anxiety, the friendship fallout, the physical complaints, the shutdown, the refusal, the exhaustion, the fear. Many families are carrying this quietly, trying to support a young person in distress while also navigating work, fractured communication, long waits for help, and the emotional toll of not knowing what to do next. NCIW’s own framing makes clear that this is not a school-only issue: schools, families, communities and decision-makers all need stronger ways to understand and respond.
That is where this conversation needs to get more honest.
Too often, attendance is still framed as a compliance issue before it is understood as a wellbeing issue, a relational issue and a belonging issue. Schools are left trying to lift attendance without always being given the time, language, insight or support to understand what is driving the withdrawal in the first place. Families, meanwhile, can be left feeling blamed, isolated or judged, when what they need is partnership, understanding and a shared plan.
The hard question is this:
Are we responding to attendance at the surface, while missing what is pushing students away underneath — both at school and at home?
Because young people do not usually disconnect all at once.
It builds.
A change in behaviour.
A rise in distress.
More friendship issues.
More conflict or withdrawal.
More frequent avoidance.
More time away.
More difficulty coping.
More strain at home.
Less trust.
Less connection.
And if that pattern is not recognised early, the gap widens.
Hosted by Sally Webster, and featuring Geoff Masters, Richard Crawshaw, Ben Sacco, Lisa Audino and Nikki Bonus, this webinar explores one of the most urgent issues facing educators, families and school leaders right now: why more young people are struggling to stay connected to school, and what it really takes to help them reconnect.
This is not just a conversation about attendance targets.
It is a conversation about whether young people feel they belong.
Whether they feel emotionally and socially safe.
Whether cyberbullying and social pressure are being understood as part of the attendance story.
Whether families feel supported rather than judged.
And whether schools and homes are being helped to work together before disengagement becomes deeper, longer and harder to turn around.
What this session will explore
why attendance decline and school refusal are often signs of deeper distress, overwhelm or disconnection
how belonging, emotional safety, friendships and relational trust influence whether young people can engage in learning
the role social skills, peer dynamics and cyberbullying can play in withdrawal and school avoidance
how family stress, communication breakdown and lack of shared understanding can deepen disengagement
what schools and families may be seeing differently, and why partnership matters
how disengagement often builds gradually before it becomes fully visible
what helps young people reconnect when school has become a source of stress, fear, humiliation or shutdown
what it takes to move from reactive attendance response to earlier, more relational and more effective practice
This session is for educators, school leaders, wellbeing teams and families who know that attendance is rarely just about attendance — and who want to better understand the realities shaping school avoidance, disconnection and student withdrawal across Australia.
Because if a young person no longer feels able to come to school, the question cannot simply be why are they absent. The deeper question is what has made school feel impossible, unsafe or too hard to face — socially, emotionally, relationally or at home — and whether we are prepared to respond to that with the insight, care and shared responsibility it demands.
Geoff Masters AO is an international adviser on curriculum and assessment redesign. He was previously long-term head of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). He has conducted a number of reviews for governments, including a review of the NSW school curriculum. He led an international study of five high-performing jurisdictions for the US National Center on Education and the Economy (published as Building a World-Class Learning System) and is author of The Children We Leave Behind (Routledge, 2026).
Richard Crawshaw is the founder of Can’t Face School, an organisation dedicated to supporting young people who experience school avoidance and disengagement. With extensive experience as a leader in contemporary education, youth wellbeing, and disability inclusion, Richard works at the intersection of schools, families, and communities to create safe, supportive environments that prioritise connection, regulation, and belonging. He is committed to transforming how adults, schools, and systems understand and respond to children who struggle to engage, turning behaviour signals into opportunities for understanding and sustainable re-engagement.
Nikki Bonus is an Australian founder, educator, keynote speaker and wellbeing innovator who has spent more than two decades building purpose-driven work that helps people thrive. As the Founder and CEO of Life Skills GO, she is helping redefine how schools understand, measure and respond to student wellbeing — shifting education from outdated, reactive models to real-time, evidence-based support. Nikki brings over 20 years of personal and professional experience in the research, co-design, development and delivery of social-emotional literacy programs for students, schools and organisations. Through Life Skills GO, the EdTech SaaS platform she founded for K–12 education, she has dedicated her career to equipping schools with real-time student wellbeing data, metrics, insights and reports that enable earlier identification, more precise intervention, and stronger wellbeing and academic outcomes. At the heart of her work is a clear belief: no child should fall through the cracks because of the circumstances they were born into. Grounded in evidence, neuroscience and lived experience, Nikki's approach is built on the conviction that every child can thrive when they are met with the right environment, the right skills, the right support and the right tools at the right time.
Ben Sacco is the Managing Director of Education Economy and has over 20 years of experience in education, working with schools and systems to create the conditions for high-quality teaching, engaged learning and whole-school wellbeing. He is an education specialist and the author of “Disruption in Schools: Understand Me Before You Mark Me!" Ben is also a children’s author of three books: “There’s a Spider in My Tummy”, “There’s a Buzzing Bee in My Head” and “Hey Dad, the Story of Curious Scarlett.” Ben is a former school leader and Senior staffer for the Department of Education. He is passionate about listening to people’s stories and advocating for meaningful, practical change in education. Ben brings both systems-level perspective and frontline experience, working alongside schools to strengthen leadership, culture, behaviour, systems and processes. His work has been featured across the Herald Sun, ABC Radio and 9 News, reflecting a growing focus on practical, evidence-informed approaches to improving education systems and outcomes.
As a School Re-engagement Specialist at cantfaceschool.com.au, I bring over 30 years of experience in education, with a focus on school management, research, and teaching. My work emphasises fostering inclusive learning environments and supporting students in re-engaging with their education through tailored strategies and training. My professional journey includes leadership roles such as Acting Principal and Assistant Principal at Pascoe Vale Primary School, where I contributed to welfare and management initiatives, and Roxburgh Park Primary School. I am driven by a commitment to empowering students and educators to achieve their full potential, with expertise in classroom management, lesson planning, and coaching.
Sally Webster is a senior education, technology and policy leader, and Chief Operations, Strategy & Growth Officer at Life Skills GO. She has held senior leadership roles across the NSW Department of Education and Amazon Web Services, shaping digital learning strategy, education policy, EdTech procurement, AI in education, system transformation and cross-sector partnerships. Known as a connector and translator between educators, technologists and policymakers, Sally brings deep experience in governance, global education advisory, crisis response and high-impact digital transformation. Through National Check-In Week, she is committed to elevating student voice and helping educators, leaders and policymakers use meaningful data to better support every child.