Showing up is not the same as being supported (School Edition)

As a ND business owner and parent, I hear the same things over and over when it comes to school and education. I just want to share my perspective and say that Advocacy isn’t optional, it’s access.

Schools talk a lot about attendance, but far less about (if any mention of) burnout. For disabled and neurodivergent students, prolonged stress and masking drive burnout, and burnout drives absence. Then schools blame the absence instead of the conditions that caused it.

Last night visiting comprehensive schools in the area I was told  “Attendance = good grades.”  But GCSE maths/science ( the level being taught in these schools) reminds us: correlation ≠ causation. Showing up is not the same as being supported.

Real inclusion can look like:

Predictable supports (breaks, water prompts, quiet spaces)
Chunked simple instructions and check-backs
Sensory-friendly options and movement breaks.
Co-regulation with a trusted adult
Flexible pathways (catch-up windows, remote options when needed)

Resilience is another word I have heard an awful lot, "teach your kids to be resilient" but true Resilience isn’t pushing through needs, it’s recovering with support. Let’s design systems that reduce burnout, not just improve registers because sustained access creates sustainable achievement.