1 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,799 Speaker 1: More than forty percent of students in years one through 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: ten were missing at least one in ten school days. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Let me say that again. More than forty percent of 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: students in grades one to ten are missing at least 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: ten percent of school according to the latest Australian Curriculum 6 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: Assessment and Reporting Authority data. That's AKARA, and that rate 7 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: has been steadily worsening over the past five years. Back 8 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen, seventy three point one percent of students 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: were attending at least ninet percent of school days. By 10 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: last year, the figure was just fifty nine point eight percent, 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: and unfortunately, the story keeps on getting worse. There are 12 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: certain demographics that are affected a little more than others 13 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: from a socioeconomic perspective. However, this is an issue that 14 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: seems to cross all barriers and all demographics and affect 15 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: so many kids. Talking today about kids who are missing school. 16 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: If you are concerned about your child, their anxiety and 17 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: their school avoidance, today's podcast is for you. I'm going 18 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: to be speaking with Megan Gilmore, the founder and CEO 19 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: of Missing School. Stay with us, Hello, and welcome to 20 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: the Happy Families Podcasts, Real Parenting Solutions. Every day. This 21 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: is Australia's most downloaded parenting podcast. My name is doctor 22 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: Justin Colson and today I'm joined by Megan Gilmore. Meighan 23 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: is the founder and CEO of Missing School. It's an 24 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: innovative charity that addresses educational isolation experienced by kids with 25 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: chronic health conditions. Although even though it's about chronic health conditions, 26 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: if kids are missing school, that can be any number 27 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: of things. Meighan Gilmour was named the twenty twenty five 28 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: ACT Australian of the Year because of the advocacy work 29 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: that she's been doing, which began with her son's battle 30 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: with a life threatening illness that got her I guess 31 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: committed to transforming education and access to education nationwide. So 32 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: through Missing School, Megan champions the use of anything online 33 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: to get kids active and engagement school and ensuring students 34 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,839 Speaker 1: remain connected to their classrooms and communities regardless of any 35 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: health challenges they have. And her leadership and persistent advocacy 36 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: have positioned Missing School at the forefront of educational reform, 37 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: driving crucial policy conversations and legislative change to support vulnerable 38 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: students across Australia. It's a long intro, But Meghan, I 39 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: think you're worthy of it and so grateful that you're 40 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: sharing your time with me today to have a conversation 41 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: about kids missing school. 42 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me on justin. 43 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: So let's start with just your story in a nutshell, 44 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,239 Speaker 1: you've dealt with chronic school absence because of your son's 45 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: quite serious illness when he was young. What can you 46 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: tell us about what happened there for him, for you, 47 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: and the impacts on you and your family. 48 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, so, in twenty ten, when my healthy, vibrant ten 49 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 2: year old son took a rapid slide into critical illness 50 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 2: the duration of years essentially, and he missed whole big 51 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 2: slabs of school for eighteen months and then intermittently for 52 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 2: the rest of the time, and so school slipped away overnight. 53 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 2: It was not just about academics, but also what we 54 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 2: witnessed through that medical treatment, not just for Darcy, but 55 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,799 Speaker 2: for other kids who we were sharing hospital a wards with. 56 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: It was that their friends had slipped away too, and 57 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 2: their identity as students and the routine, the every day 58 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 2: routine of school that helped them feel like kids. Our 59 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 2: whole family went into survival mode. I watched Darfie's sister 60 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 2: Mea also carry that silent worry, the sibling grief and 61 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 2: anxiety and being kind of forgotten and left behind in 62 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 2: all of it too. And I dropped everything, of course, work, 63 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 2: our normal life. And what struck us most about this 64 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: was that there was no education system roadmaps for families 65 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 2: like ours. We felt it invisible, and that isolation sparked 66 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 2: this lifelong mission that I'm now on. 67 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: It's fascinating to hear you say that. I mean, we're 68 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: talking about social issues, we're talking about identity challenges obviously, 69 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: the educational missing so much work and the flow on 70 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: into the rest of the family. You're dealing with something 71 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: that specifically physically impacted your son. Okay, he's got a 72 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: physical illness, but there's heaps of parents who are listening 73 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:38,720 Speaker 1: to this who are saying, well, my kids aren't in hospital, 74 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: my kids don't have any kind of physiological challenges, but 75 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 1: the mental health challenges absolutely there. It's anxiety, there's been 76 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: bullying issues or whatever, and I can't get my kids 77 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: out the door. I'm literally dragging them into the school 78 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: and then they're coming home by recess. Anyway, what are 79 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,279 Speaker 1: you seeing as you have conversations because the research is 80 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: so patchy and so unhelpful in this are what are 81 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: you seeing in terms of the impacts on kids who 82 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: are missing school on a regular basis, whether it's physical, 83 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: physical health issues or mental health issues. 84 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. So what we saw is that even though the 85 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 2: physical even though our journey started with a physical condition, 86 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 2: the impacts on mental health for those children and the 87 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 2: anxiety that they faced was there as well. We also 88 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 2: see through our work now at missing school kids whose 89 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 2: school isolation starts with a mental health issue or anxiety, 90 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 2: whatever the causes are, The issue for us is being 91 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 2: isolated from school because we know the long term impacts 92 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 2: that has, and it's not hard to guess what those are. 93 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: Can it walk through them? 94 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 2: For me? 95 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: I think that it's worth. 96 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. So we know that children struggle academically when they 97 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 2: miss school. We know that it disrupts their relationships with 98 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 2: their peers, their friendship, and their teachers, and it has 99 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 2: those long term impacts on wellbeing, including mental health issues, 100 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 2: even if the physical condition in this case resolves. So 101 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 2: wherever that starts, the long term prospects are effects to wellbeing, 102 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 2: effects to future productivity, pathways to careers and work life, 103 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 2: and so we need to address this early and make 104 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 2: sure that we maintain those community connections that school can provide. 105 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 2: This is what we've set out to do, and on 106 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 2: our journey, what we've found is, and you mentioned this before, 107 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 2: that school attendance has slipped, has been slipping, and post 108 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 2: COVID has took a rapid slide. Really, the numbers of 109 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 2: children that this is now affecting and the reasons and 110 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 2: causes for it all point to the same thing is 111 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 2: that our school systems are not fit for purpose. We 112 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 2: believe that we're having We're seeing a lot of these 113 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 2: issues arise not only because the children are having a 114 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 2: physical illness that prevents them from going to school, but 115 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 2: also that children given differences in the way, children are 116 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 2: coming to school with differences and those differences aren't accommodated 117 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 2: by the school system. So we're on our journey now 118 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 2: to resolve this through policy and work with government. 119 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: I'm sure that everybody who is a school teacher heres that, 120 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: and just it must be so hard to be working 121 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: in a school and continually being told the system's wrong, 122 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: the system's not fit for purpose. It's so so difficult, 123 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: and yet most teachers, most educators that I speak with 124 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: will also nod their head in a moment of the 125 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: moment of honesty say yes, and we are doing the 126 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: very best that we can in a system that is, 127 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: I guess, built on medieval institutional frameworks and it just 128 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: doesn't really fit what we're dealing with today. When I 129 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: think about what you're describing, Megan, the immediate question that 130 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: I have, and this is something that I've wrestled with 131 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: with many parents over the years, is what do we 132 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: need to do to help kids to get a full education? 133 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: Because while the school system may have its quirks, idiosyncrasies 134 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: and frankly faults, education matters. You can get education outside 135 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 1: of the school system, of course, but whether we're talking 136 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: about school or not, education matters, and school is the 137 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: place that the overwhelming majority of Australian children need to 138 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: go to get that education. How can we help them 139 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: to be there when either physically or mentally they're just 140 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: falling apart in can't actually be at school? 141 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, it is a big question and it's really 142 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 2: coming firmly into an evolution for missing school now because 143 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 2: just to put another final point on it, what we 144 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 2: see is that we're living in twenty first century pressures 145 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 2: and those twenty first century pressures are now disrupting schools. 146 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:12,839 Speaker 2: As a model we're going into. You mentioned it, it's 147 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 2: a post industrial revolution style of model. And I want 148 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 2: to say this because I so respect the work that 149 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 2: teachers do and that our principles and people in schools do, 150 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 2: and they are also experiencing the non fit of that model. 151 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm sure this is why so many teachers and 152 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: so many principles are out on stress leave and experiencing 153 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: anxiety and depression about their work because of the because 154 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:44,080 Speaker 1: of the fact that the model doesn't work today. So again, 155 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: how do you get kids to school and how do 156 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: you get even teachers them? 157 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:51,319 Speaker 2: When we came to this, we decided to trial and 158 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 2: pilot and we have to w a digital connection into 159 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 2: the classroom for children who can't physically be there. And 160 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 2: we've discovered that to way digital connection can take place. 161 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 2: Schools have done it across Australia and what we see 162 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 2: when children are connected that way, and that includes that 163 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 2: has included children who experience extraordinary anxiety. If we didn't 164 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,680 Speaker 2: start with a physical condition, that there's that safer way 165 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 2: to join a classroom when they're overwhelmed from a sensory 166 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 2: point of view, or they might feel like they're having 167 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 2: relationship issues with peers in the classroom, and the disability 168 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 2: standards can enable schools to do a lot of things 169 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 2: to keep children connected and supported, including through to a 170 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 2: digital connection. So we have the legislation, we have the technology. 171 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 2: We just need better policy now and we just need 172 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:55,079 Speaker 2: our leaders to step up and look at schools as 173 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 2: part of critical part of the economy as well as 174 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 2: a critical part of children's lives and recognize that we're 175 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 2: in an era now where transformation is needed. 176 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: Such a complex, challenging and hand ringing kind of challenge 177 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: for so many families. Meghan Gilmour is the founder and 178 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: CEO of Missing School. You can google and find Meghan. 179 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: We will link to her and all of her info 180 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: in these show notes. Meghan really appreciate you jumping under 181 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: the pod and having a chat with us today. 182 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me on today. 183 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: Justin Meghan has been named the twenty twenty five ACT 184 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: Australian of the Year and I think that this is 185 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: a conversation that is not going to go away in 186 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: a hurry. So much too, so much to juggle and 187 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: so much to deal with here. If this has brought 188 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: anything up for you, Like I said, we will link 189 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 1: to missing school and other resources in the show notes. 190 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 1: The Happy Families podcast is produced by Justin Ruland from 191 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 1: Bridge Media. Mem Hammonds provides research and other admin support. 192 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: If you would like more information and rese sources to 193 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: support your family and help them to be happier and flourish, 194 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: you can visit happy families dot com dot au. Oh 195 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: should also mention tomorrow on the Happy Families Podcast. Another 196 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: school topic we're going to be talking about, whether or 197 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: not leave should or should not be approved, if kids 198 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:19,679 Speaker 1: are being told by their parents to take the day 199 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: off or the week off for out of school term holidays, controversial, provocative, 200 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: We're going to get the down low on that as well. 201 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: That's tomorrow on the podcast. We'll see you there.