'Navigators' helping the children who refuse to go to school

College meets growing demand to deal with pupils who experience barriers to education such as mental health

- Stephen Topping

It was 'put down to her age, Robert says. But by year four at primary school, those problems mounted.

"It got to the stage that we were having to drag her into school," Robert told the Manchester Evening News. "Teachers were dragging her off us.

"They said 'everything is fine, everything is fine' - but realistically, we knew it wasn't. We didn't know where to go or who to turn to."

Libby's story is far from unique and absence from school has become a growing concern among MPs since the pandemic.

In the current academic year, up to February 23, more than one in five pupils have been classed as 'persistently absent' - meaning they have missed over 10 per cent of their sessions at school.

For many young people, mental health issues form a barrier to education. Libby, from Charlestown in north Manchester, spent years struggling at home.

Following an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment, Libby was offered a place at a specialist education provider, but it was still at a school setting and 'was not for her.