The Educator magazine recently published an article stating that school refusal can lead to “lower employment prospects, issues maintaining social relationships and mental health challenges”. This can come as confronting research for parents who have a child for which turning up to a physical school is a very real fear.
In the article, Dr Emily Berger, from the School of Educational Psychology at Monash University, suggests firstly that parents engage with a mental health professional, who will be able to delve a little deeper into the reasons, medical or otherwise, why a student may be worried about attending school. At Hillcrest, we partner with mental health professionals to put strategies in place to support your child through this challenging period. Secondly, make your child a part of the conversation about their worries, and how they can help plan a course of action to continue their learning.
Sometimes, no matter how much effort families put in, a child simply cannot or will not return to school. Fortunately, this no longer needs to be the end of the road for students. The Virtual Learning Community offers an online, flexible learning environment that allows your child to access an exceptional, independent school education, from the safety and comfort of their own home. In this environment, students feel more psychologically safe to focus on their academics, because at the foundation we have a program that caters to their social and emotional wellbeing, too. Students can build relationships and social networks with their online peers, both virtually and in-person, at a range of events throughout the term.
The definition of ‘school’ has changed, and parents no longer need to be worried about their child missing out on an education while they support their child through anxiety and mental health issues. If you would like to talk about how the VLC might be a good fit for your child, please contact us here.
Author: Danni Foster-Brown
Head of Virtual Learning Community
Distance Education suited to your family and lifestyle
Hillcrest Christian College’s Virtual Learning Community (VLC) offers your family a truly flexible Distance Education learning experience, so your child can access an exceptional independent school education to suit your family’s lifestyle.
