How to help your child through the exam season

A few weeks ago I was visiting a College of Further Education in the West Midlands and chatting with staff about the issues that they and their students are currently facing. In the course of conversation I learned that last year was the biggest ever number of no shows of students to exams, and the primary reason was mental health issues and in particular the stresses linked with the exam season. Not showing up for your exams is itself a major source of stress, with all the implications that follow from this action and so there is a great deal of anxiety in schools and colleges about the new season we are about to enter. Is there anything youthworkers, chaplains, schools workers and families can do to help our young people negotiate this difficult time?

The issue of mental health issues amongst young people is well known. Statistics suggest that currently one in six children aged between seven and 16 are living with some form of mental health disorder, this is up from one in nine recorded in 2017. The coronavirus pandemic falls between these dates and has been a significant factor in the worsening of this situation.

Various kinds of exam stress

Exam stress can manifest in a variety of ways according to the charity Mind including changes in behaviour, thoughts, relationships and character. Commonly focus is lost and a young person will seek to avoid the very things they need to engage with in order to do well in exams. Revision doesn’t happen, extra sessions are avoided, opportunities to talk about how you are feeling or to ask questions relating to the exams themselves are not taken. All motivation evaporates. Exam stress can lead in extreme circumstances to self harm and destructive behaviour.