“How do you know you’re safe at school? When I’m not there”. Perspectives of autistic young people and school staff from one secondary school about attendance struggles and who is accountable for change

School non-attendance became an international phenomenon post-pandemic with many schools, regardless of intake or location, experiencing increases in pupils struggling to attend. However, pre-pandemic data highlight that non-attendance of autistic students was already a significant issue and increased post-pandemic. Indeed, autistic students continue to be overrepresented in non-attendance figures and research is needed to understand more about the root causes of why. This case study was a collaboration with a mainstream secondary school in the North West of England to explore experiences of school non-attendance within a specific school context. Data were collected using multiple methods: an online staff survey (n = 43 respondents), in-depth interviews with selected staff members (n = 3) and a Photovoice activity with autistic male students aged 12–14 years (n = 7). Reflexive thematic analysis of the qualitative data foregrounded the views and perspectives of the young people and then incorporated the views of staff. Three main themes were identified relating to (1) feeling unsafe due to uncertainty and unpredictability, vigilance and anxiety, (2) the avoidance of touch and engagement, and (3) safe havens that included people and spaces. Young people’s experiences focused on where they felt safe, unsafe and anxious while staff comments tended to focus on students’ avoidant behaviours and lack of resilience, interest, or engagement. These different emphases highlight the importance of enabling the sharing of both sets of perspectives from within the same environment so that meaningful changes to practice can be made.