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Children with emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA) experience significant emotional distress and avoidance related to school attendance []. Prevalence rates for EBSA are generally estimated to be between 1–5% of school-aged children based on studies conducted in a range of school systems worldwide []. However, an accurate picture of the prevalence of EBSA in England following the Covid-19 pandemic is not known, although we might reasonably expect it to be higher given the sharp rise in school absenteeism. In England, persistent absences in primary school (missing > 10% of school sessions) have increased following the COVID-19 pandemic from 11.2% in 2018 to 20.9% in 2022 []. Emotional factors including heightened anxiety and distress about attending school have been identified as playing an important part in this upward trend [, ]. EBSA peaks in the secondary school years but often emerges during primary schooling, suggesting the need for early intervention before patterns of poor attendance become entrenched [, ]. EBSA can have deep and long-lasting negative effects on children’s development and life prospects (see [] for a review). The school absences associated with EBSA are consistently associated with poorer academic achievement (e.g. [, ]), increased likelihood of school dropout [], compromised social skills and peer relationships [, , ], increased mental health and behavioural problems and relationship difficulties [, ] and poorer employment prospects in later life []. Parents also report significant distress and frustration in managing EBSA []. In England, absences caused by EBSA are commonly recorded as unauthorized triggering punitive measures such as parental warnings and financial penalties []. Such statutory responses lack evidence and are usually viewed as ineffective and antagonistic by parents [, ]. A recent review of school-based attendance interventions found little compelling evidence that family incentives/disincentives, mentoring, social and emotional skills programmes, behaviour interventions or provision of meals and/or extracurricular activities improve attendance. More promising evidence was identified for programmes that centred on parental engagement and communication, and responsive and targeted programmes attending to one or more barriers to attendance []. For the relatively few families who schools refer to specialist psychological support, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be an effective approach to tackle EBSA []. CBT interventions often involve direct work with children to strengthen coping strategies and practice exposure tasks, with conjoint parenting sessions to address “family accommodations” (e.g., repeated reassurance) that can maintain anxious avoidance of school in the longer-term [, ]. However, specialist CBT can be difficult to access, particularly in the context of increased referral thresholds and capacity limitations in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) since the COVID-19 pandemic [, ]. Furthermore, there is equivocal evidence that specialist CBT improves key functional outcomes including attendance []. This may be due to the relative lack of attention given to wider systemic influences on school absenteeism.