Ben’s Home Education Adventure by Lorraine Blanche: A Book Inspired by School Anxiety and EBSA

Ben’s Home Education Adventure: A Picture Book Inspired by School Anxiety and EBSA

Home educator Lorraine Blanche writes a story inspired by Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

Author Spotlight

I wanted to spotlight this author because stories like Ben’s are rarely found in children’s books — yet they reflect the lived experience of so many home-educating families. It gives children like ours a voice, and offers comfort, recognition, and reassurance to the parents who’ve walked that same path.

Lorraine Blanche is a passionate home educator and storyteller. She began home educating her neurodiverse son after removing him from school at age seven, when it became clear that a ‘one size fits all’ system wasn’t meeting his needs. Through gentle support, preparation, and stories, she helped him manage his worries, reduce anxiety, and rediscover a love of learning at his own pace.

Her debut picture book is based on their home education journey — inspired by the lack of stories that reflected their experience. Unable to find books her son could identify with, Lorraine began writing her own. Ben’s Home Education Adventure is the book she wished they’d had — one that gives voice to children learning outside the classroom.

Lorraine’s story

Some children run happily into school, eager for the day ahead. Others don’t.

Some freeze at the door, wide-eyed, tearful, and overwhelmed.
Some feel sick every morning, dread building in their stomach long before they reach the school gate.

Lorraine’s son was one of those children.
What began as tummy aches quickly became something deeper. Full-blown distress. Panic. Withdrawal. His light began to fade.

At the time, there wasn’t a name for it — at least, not one she’d heard. But now we recognise this as Emotional-Based School Avoidance (EBSA) — a very real and increasingly common reason children struggle to attend school.

Back then, Lorraine did what so many parents are told to do: stick to the routine, be firmer, push through. But it didn’t work — because love alone can’t fix this, and pushing through isn’t the answer when a child is already overwhelmed.

As the pressure to conform increased, her son’s wellbeing declined. School didn’t understand what he was going through. No meaningful adjustments were offered. The transition to Year 3 was the final straw.

So they made a decision that felt terrifying and yet entirely right:
They deregistered him and began home educating.

And that’s when things began to change.

He laughed again. He slept again. He learned again. His anxiety eased. His OCD behaviours softened. He came back to life.

From lived experience to picture book

During those early days of home education, Lorraine searched for picture books that reflected their life — books where a child learns at home, not because school is never an option, but because it simply isn’t working.

She found very few.

So she started writing her own.

Her upcoming picture book, Ben’s Home Education Adventure, was written for children like her son. It follows seven-year-old Ben, a child who doesn’t feel safe at school, and who rediscovers curiosity, confidence, and joy when learning starts to feel good again.

Told in gentle rhyme, Ben’s story is warm and familiar. He isn’t painted as lazy or difficult — just as a child who knows what doesn’t feel right. And when the pressure is removed, he begins to thrive.

This book will be a comfort to many home-educating families — especially those who came to this path through challenge or crisis. It’s also a beautiful way to help children feel seen, understood, and less alone.

Home education isn’t always easy — but it can be healing

Lorraine’s story is one many of us recognise. It’s also a powerful reminder of how many children are struggling inside a system that can’t always meet their needs — and how deeply home education can support recovery, reconnection, and growth.

As the number of home-educating families continues to rise across the UK, it’s time to start asking why so many are walking away from the classroom — and what children like Ben are trying to tell us.

We need more awareness of EBSA. More flexibility. More training for professionals. And above all, we need a system that can see each child as an individual, not a statistic.

Until then, books like Ben’s Home Education Adventure are helping to shift the conversation — gently, bravely, and with compassion.

Ben’s Home Education Adventure: A Picture Book About School Anxiety and EBSA

Illustration by Tina Gedney

The book is available for pre order and will be released on October 1st 2025.

Amazon: Ben's Home Education Adventures

Waterstones: Ben's Home Education Adventures by Lorraine Blanche

The publisher is Big Thinking Publishing. Illustrator is Tina Gedney.

If you’ve experienced EBSA or made the decision to home educate due to school-related anxiety, I’d love to hear your story. Your voice matters — and so does your child’s.