Mason's Story
Case study from February 2, 2022
Mason was referred to School-Home Support after his attendance dropped to 39%, and he was at risk of being excluded from school due to behavioural issues. After working with School-Home Support from October 2020-21, Mason’s attendance rose to 80%.
The family background
Mason lives with his mum, little brother, a younger uncle who has learning difficulties, and a terminally ill grandmother, who he helped care for.
The situation
Like so many of the families we supported during the pandemic, Mason and Tanya faced multiple challenges.
Mason’s caring responsibilities were affecting his school attendance. He had problems controlling his emotions and sometimes had outbursts of anger. He was also struggling with the transition into high school and had been bullied, causing him to withdraw socially. Mason often fell asleep in the classroom during lessons. Mason’s mum Tanya was struggling financially, as she was caring for her younger brother and her mother.
How did School-Home Support help?
If Mason had continued on his current trajectory he would have missed nearly 600 days of his vital high school years, nearly three years, and 1 month.
Where he should be learning, playing, and growing up with his peers in the safety of the school, he’s holding himself and his family together instead. His challenging home life would have affected his ability to access his education and help him develop into adulthood. School-Home Support has altered this path. He has support, plans, tactics, and tools to succeed. To help him and his family build resilience.
School-Home Support Practitioner, Zoe, worked closely with Mason to come up with strategies to support him at school and at home.
Zoe was in regular contact with Tanya and signposted her to services that helped with care and finances. Zoe secured a funded bus pass for Mason’s journey to and from school, which alleviated some of the financial pressure.
After Mason formed a friendship with a peer in his class, Zoe organised for them to meet up in a local trampoline park during the summer holidays, making the return to school in September less daunting.
To tackle Mason’s tiredness, Zoe supported Tanya to implement a bedtime plan and routine to ensure he was getting enough sleep, and also showed Mason how to use a sleep app.