Written by Tish Feilden – Co-Founder and Director of Therapeutic Education.
If you work in a school, you’re likely to be showing up every day in classrooms that are more stretched, more emotionally complex, and more uncertain than ever before. And somehow, in the middle of all the noise—targets, timetables, data—you’re still trying to reach that one student who hasn’t turned up again. Or who has but won’t lift their head from the desk. Or who keeps finding ways to disappear in plain sight.
Poor attendance is widespread across schools, and the reasons are complex.
A recent report by Impetus highlights what so many of us are seeing: for many children today, school feels optional. Not because they don’t care, but because it feels overwhelming, exhausting, or simply disconnected from their lives. The pull of late-night online spaces, the weight of anxiety, the absence of joy, it all adds up. And for many families, especially those already on the margins, the idea that a fine or a stern letter will solve it feels not just out of touch, but deeply unfair.
One parent put it plainly: “I can’t physically force them through the gates.”
But here’s what we know, because we’ve seen it, again and again:
Young people do want to learn. They do want to belong. And they do want to succeed.
A Spark Waiting to Be Seen
Last week at Jamie’s Farm, I spent time with a group of Year 10 students who had been struggling to engage in school. Some were barely attending. Others had become “that child” in the classroom—the one teachers are told to manage, not reach.
But over a few days on the farm, something shifted. They took on real responsibility, worked with their hands, cared for animals, cooked meals, encouraged one another. They laughed. They got stuck in. They looked adults in the eye.
It didn’t happen because someone threatened them with a detention. It happened because they felt safe. Because they were listened to. Because they were trusted.
This isn’t magic. It’s what happens when relationships come first. When we create the conditions for young people to show up as they are—and begin to believe they might be capable of more.
And you don’t have to be on a farm to make that happen.
Schools Need Space to Breathe
You’ve felt the shift. Class sizes are growing. Emotional needs are rising. Time for connection is shrinking. You’re being asked to do more with less, and often with fewer hands to help. Meanwhile, students are navigating a world we only half understand, with online lives, constant comparison, and pressures that don’t stop when the bell rings.
We’re not saying relationships are the only answer. But without them, almost nothing else works.
If school becomes a place where young people’s autonomy is shut down, where they’re known by their deficits rather than their strengths, where the best part of the day is the walk home, then of course they disengage.
We need to create schools where students are seen and heard, not just measured and managed.
Cultivating Change: Supporting schools to thrive
That’s why at Jamie’s Farm, we’re not just offering short-term interventions. We’re working to support long-term change—supporting schools to grow cultures where connection isn’t a bonus, but the foundation.
Flagship Schools: Beyond the Farm
Our Flagship Schools Programme is about embedding the essence of the Jamie’s Farm experience across whole school communities. It’s a deep partnership that includes:
- CPD for staff, rooted in relational practice, a real understanding of behaviour and adoption of a strengths-based approach
- A Train the Trainer model so this learning spreads throughout school
- Placements for early career staff to experience relational practice in action
- Support to develop therapeutic spaces within school settings
- Membership of Youth Champions, giving students voice and leadership
It’s not a checklist—it’s a cultural shift. One that gives staff permission to lead with empathy, and students space to grow beyond the labels they’ve been given.
Power Up Pastoral: Backing the People Who Hold It All Together
We’re also proud to be running Power Up Pastoral, a year-long programme for pastoral staff—the learning mentors, behaviour leads, family workers, and safeguarding teams who often carry the emotional weight of a school day.
Too often, these staff are expected to “just know” how to support young people through trauma, loss, and disconnection. This programme gives them:
- Recognition as professionals, not just problem-solvers
- Training in trauma-informed, relational approaches
- Connection to a national network of peers who understand the work
It’s built around three modules—Self and Team, Children, and Families and Communities—each supported by practical tools and reflective space.
Because when we care for the carers, we change the game for everyone.
Looking Forward, Together
We know this isn’t easy and the system isn’t always kind to the things that matter most. But here’s what we believe, deeply…
When young people feel safe, connected, and respected, they rise to meet us.
When staff feel trusted and supported, they bring their best selves to the work.
And when schools are given the space to breathe, they don’t just survive, they thrive.
So if you’re in the thick of it right now, know that you are making a difference.
And we’re here, walking alongside you, helping to grow schools where every young person wants to show up, not because they must, but because they want to.
Although both programmes are at capacity for this year, if you are interested in learning more about becoming a Flagship School or Power Up Pastoral, please get in touch.
