Help young people finally explain what’s hard about school
The School Anxiety Clarity Cards give children a simple, non-threatening way to show you what they’re struggling with at school. That means you can stop guessing and start building an effective support plan that actually fits their needs.
For parents, teachers, SENCOs, ELSAs, attendance and pastoral leads supporting children with school anxiety or refusal.
Get The Clarity Cards for ÂŁ14
Getting young people to share how they feel about school can be really hard.
- Some don’t have the words to explain it.
- Some say they “hate school” or “it’s boring”, but can’t tell you why.
- Some will open up at home, but mask their true feelings with teachers.
- Some refuse to talk about school at all.
- And some aren’t attending, so staff have very few chances to hear their voice.
But if young people aren't able to explain clearly what they really think and feel about school:
- Parents and teachers have to rely on “best guesses”, which are rarely the full picture.
- Parents don’t know exactly what support to ask for or advocate.
- Parental concerns may not be taken seriously if the child masks at school.
- Schools don’t know what kind of adjustments or support will actually help.
- Young people are less likely to be fully or appropriately supported, difficulties persist, and school continues to feel hard.
Empower children and young people to share what's really hard about school.
The School Anxiety Clarity Cards give children a simple, structured way to show you what feels hard about school and what helps. Through a questionnaire or card‑sort activity, you can quickly see:
- what they find difficult in school
- how important each issue is to them
- what support is already in place
- what support is missing
- what they would most like to change
I first created the cards to understand the views of young people with school‑based anxiety. They proved so clear and informative that I now use them routinely in my educational psychology practice, with children experiencing a wide range of difficulties in school.
What you can do with the School Anxiety Clarity Cards
- Turn the child’s responses into a clear summary of:
- what they find hardest about school
- what is going well
- what support is already in place and what might be missing.Â
- their priorities for change
- Use this summary to build a support plan that:
- sets motivating, realistic goals with the young person
- targets the issues they say matter most
- plugs any gaps in support at home or in school
- makes school feel easier and less stressful
- Can be used by parents, teachers, SENCOs, ELSAs, pastoral staff, attendance leads and educational psychologists.
- Most useful for children and young people aged roughly 7–16.
What do you get if you buy The School Anxiety Clarity Cards?
Why the Clarity Cards are different
Unlike most other questionnaires or card sets, the School Anxiety Clarity Cards show you how important each issue is to the young person.
The colour‑coding makes it easy to spot themes and patterns at a glance. That means you don’t just get a long list of worries; you get a clear picture of what to focus on first.
The School Anxiety Clarity Cards are also a core tool inside my School Anxiety Support (SAS) online course (£127), where parents use them as the starting point for understanding what’s wrong and planning support. You’re getting that core framework on its own here.
Evidence‑based and used in real practice
The cards cover factors that research and my 10+ years’ experience as an educational psychologist identify as common barriers to attending and engaging in school.
I use the School Anxiety Clarity Cards regularly in my educational psychology practice, and they consistently provide rich information that leads to a clear course of action.
Four simple steps to help young people share their views.Â
1
Buy the cards.Â
Order you downloadable pdf and print as many copies as you meed.Â
2
Use the cards with a child.Â
Find out what's going well, what's hard and their priorities for change.Â
3
Review what the child has shared.
Use the colour‑coding to spot themes and notice which issues matter most.
4
Plan support together.
Use the information to agree realistic next steps and build a support plan.
Frequently Asked QuestionsÂ
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Q1. Who are the Clarity Cards suitable for?
They are most useful for children and young people aged 7–16 who find school hard or are anxious about school.
Q2. Who are the cards for?
The cards can be used by:
- Parents of children who are anxious about school.
- SENCOs and inclusion leads planning targeted support.
- ELSAs and pastoral leads running 1:1 or small group sessions
- Attendance leads working with children and families.Â
- Educational psychologists and mental health professionals
Q3. How long does a session with the cards take?
Most parents and school staff can complete the activities in about 45 minutes, depending on the child’s age and how much they want to talk. You can also use the cards over several shorter conversations.
Q4. Can I reuse the cards with more than one child?
Yes. The PDF can be printed as many times as you need for use within your family, school, or service, so you can use the cards with multiple children and over time.
Q5. What if I’m not sure I’ll know how to interpret the results?
The themes and colour‑coding are designed to make patterns easy to see at a glance. You don’t need to be a specialist: focus on which areas the child rates as most important and use these as starting points for support and reasonable adjustments.
