A Merseyside first: How robots help some Wirral children go to school

Robots are being used to support children who experience issues with attending school for emotional reasons to return to the classroom – virtually.

The 12 ‘AV1’ robots are now available to support children and young people who are experiencing emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) in the borough - making Wirral the first local authority in Merseyside to adopt a ‘fleet’ of AV1s and incorporate them into a formal offer for young people.
Emotionally based school avoidance, or EBSA, is a term used to describe children and young people who have severe difficulty in attending school due to emotional factors, often resulting in prolonged absences from school or difficulties engaging with lessons.    

Cllr Stephen Bennett, Chair of Wirral’s Children, Families and Education committee, said: “We all know the importance of school attendance to improve outcomes for children and young people. 

“But, unlike truanting or ‘bunking off’, the families of young people experiencing EBSA are often aware of their absence from school and the underlying emotional issues attached to it. Many of these families want to do everything they can to work with school and help their child begin attending again.”

Young people experiencing EBSA may find it intensely difficult to attend school, often feeling unwell, nervous or frightened to go to lessons. There can be lots of reasons why a student may feel this way, including mental health needs, bullying or arguments, moving to a new school or lots of change at home. 

Cllr Bennett said: “It may sound far-fetched or futuristic, but this project has already had a significant real-life impact on the children and young people who have been involved in a local pilot. This work has been overseen by the Local Area SEND Partnership Board and is a key project to help children with additional needs attend school and succeed in their learning.”

The successful pilot, which took place from April to July 2024, involved seven Wirral schools. During the pilot, official attendance scores of the pupils who used the AV1 improved on average by 21%. The number of hours that pupils engaged with lessons improved by 42%.

A spokesperson for a Wirral school involved in the pilot said: “Prior to use of the AV1, the pupil had not attended any lessons with their class since Christmas, but they are now engaging in learning regularly.” 

The AV1 device allows the young person to access a one-way live stream, communicate via a microphone and has a variety of lights and emoji expressions to share how they are feeling. 

A spokesperson for a Wirral specialist secondary school involved in the pilot said: “When fully connecting, the student has enjoyed the experience. There is clearly lots of potential for building relationships and confidence in learning.”

Schools will use the AV1 as a short-term intervention tool only, allowing the young person to gradually re-integrate back into school or re-engage with their learning. With a limited number of robots available, schools will be able to apply to use one on a student by student basis. Applications will be anonymised and discussed by a specialist EBSA panel to ensure impartiality.

As part of the local authority’s EBSA strategy, in addition to the robots, EBSA training has been offered to all schools in the borough, with staff from 84% of Wirral schools having already received training. Of those who have completed the training, 99.5% said they would recommend it to other professionals.

For more information on Wirral’s EBSA strategy, visit: https://familytoolbox.co.uk/resource-list/wirrals-support-for-emotionally-based-school-avoidance-ebsa/.

Wirral’s AV-1 robots have been funded by the Council’s capital programme. Funding from the council’s Capital Programme cannot be used for day-to-day items like running council services. Capital funding can only be used for assets and infrastructure.