by Sally Michaels | Apr 3, 2025 | Practical Strategies, Understanding Anxiety
At Blue Squid, we spend our days alongside young people whose lives have been shaped by emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA). For many of these young people, the journey back into education isn’t just about stepping through a school gate again, it’s about... 
by Sally Michaels | Mar 18, 2025 | Practical Strategies, Understanding Anxiety
Picture this: a student who has struggled with school non-attendance walks into school, engages in a lesson, and even contributes to a discussion. For a staff member observing this, it might seem like a turning point: proof that they are “fine” and capable of managing... 
by Sally Michaels | Feb 28, 2025 | Practical Strategies, Understanding Anxiety
Why does funding follow disruption, not distress? Schools often work incredibly hard to support all their students, but when resources are tight, funding decisions can sometimes be shaped by immediate pressures rather than long-term needs. Time and again, we see... 
by Sally Michaels | Feb 25, 2025 | Building Relationships, Practical Strategies, Understanding Anxiety
Imagine someone is terrified of fire. They know it will hurt, they know it is dangerous and their whole body is screaming at them to stay away. Now imagine telling them, “Just put your hand in the fire, but only for a short time.” You wouldn’t, would you? Yet, this is... 
by Sally Michaels | Feb 13, 2025 | Practical Strategies, Understanding Anxiety, Whole-School Approaches
Why is it that the words we use can carry so much weight? For those of us working with young people who are struggling to attend school, the language we choose can either build bridges or deepen divides. For years, “school refusal” has been the default phrase to... 
by Sally Michaels | Feb 6, 2025 | Practical Strategies, Understanding Anxiety
Imagine walking into a room where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. The furniture is rearranged daily, people speak in different languages, and expectations change without warning. It would be unsettling, wouldn’t it? Now imagine facing that level of...