* An estimated 1 per cent of pupils are school phobic; that means about 10 pupils in an average-sized secondary
* The number of phobic or “anxious” pupils taken in by a Durham unit has increased by about 25 per cent over the past few years
* Children are most vulnerable when they start nursery or infant school, during the transition to secondary and again at key stage 4
* Panic attacks, excessive fear and complaints of feeling ill when faced with the prospect of school can last for years. Treatment is swifter and more successful in younger children
* School phobics are often sensitive, reserved children from across the social range who tend to worry. Parents are usually at a loss as to why their child will not go to school