'Acute school phobia' led to suicide of boy, 13 - report

The child had suffered low self-esteem, compounded by falling behind at school, the report said

A 13-year-old boy who took his own life suffered from "acute school phobia", a report found.

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership found the parents of the boy, referred to as "Child BJ", had reported that his literacy level contributed to anxiety about school.

The child died in March 2022.

A review found an early help assessment had left the schools to manage by themselves, which in this case was "not appropriate".

It also said agencies and professionals did not always know what help was available when mental health issues were identified, and recommended they work collaboratively to make the best use of resources.

In a statement, Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership said: "Following this deeply distressing case, the NSCP took a decision to instigate a Child Safeguarding Practice Review which has drawn significant learning points for practitioners.

"Among the various recommendations is a strong, ongoing commitment to continue to support the work being done around suicide prevention across Northamptonshire, including the development of face-to-face training for all colleagues working within safeguarding, including all schools.

"This is an area where there is still much to be understood, but significant progress is being made to address the issues faced by some vulnerable young people."

'School phobia'

The night before Child BJ took his own life, his parents said he had "seemed his usual happy self".

However, the report found that he had "for a number of years displayed physical and verbal aggression to himself and others" including "self-harm and suicidal ideation".

He had previously been excluded from school and was in the process of being moved to another.

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The report concluded that Child BJ suffered from "low self-esteem in school" and that falling behind with his learning "compounded this feeling for him".

It said he suffered from "acute school phobia", referred to as "emotionally-based school avoidance" (EBSA) among academics.

The report made a number of recommendations to the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

The charity, Young Minds, said EBSA could be caused by feeling overwhelmed with anxiety about schoolwork, relationships with friends and teachers or not being able to talk about bullying.

The report said that Child BJ's parents wanted the review to highlight that his literacy level "was so much lower than it should be, possibly five years lower."

It added that this "was at the root of his anxiety and anger."

Among five recommendations, the report said the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership "should seek assurance from partners ensuring that the child's voice is captured in cases of acute emotional distress, including those self-harming and expressing suicide ideation, and the child is at the centre of all planning."