When it comes to exams, it’s important to remember that whilst they may be important and helpful in getting you to the next step of your journey, not everyone will or needs to get good exam results to live a happy and successful life. There are so many options for where your life may take you but it can be worrying if you’re not sure or feel the pressure to succeed academically. To cope as best you can in your exams, it’s really important that you balance working hard and revising with having breaks and down time. Just as a marathon runner can’t run every day, you need study free time/ days. Make sure you see your friends, have breaks, go out, spend time doing your hobbies and interests, have fun. Look after your physical and emotional health by eating and drinking regularly, getting enough sleep, doing some physical activity as well as resting.
You will find further resources for children & parents below;
Young Minds has advice on managing exam stress
- Dealing with exam stress: https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/feelings-and-symptoms/exam-stress/
- Contains tips from other young people and revision rips
- How to deal with disappointing exams results
- How to build self-care into your daily routine: https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/exam-self-care/
- Wellbeing tips for secondary pupils during exams: https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/revision/
The Mix offers support to young people and advice around the different pressures young people face when it comes to exams.
- Exams and the pressure to do well: has exam and study tips https://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exams-and-the-pressure-to-do-well-23966.html
- The Mix also has support services including
- Telephone support (0808 808 4994) open 7 days a week from 4pm-11pm
- 1-2-1 chat open 7 days a week from 4pm to 11pm
- Crisis messenger system: 24-hour system 7 days a week-text THEMIX to 85258
Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families: their website contains helpful tips and information around revision and general advice on looking after your emotional wellbeing.
- Also contains helpful videos from expert providing tips about managing stress in exams and interviews as well as while you wait to hear the results
- Link: https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/revision/
- The Student Room: the UK’s largest online community for students which has a lot of free advice and guidance including revision guides, advice on making flashcards or mind-maps and a range of top-tips from students themselves https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/
Gov.uk
- Coping with exam pressure: a guide for students—has advice and guidance on how to cope with pressure associated with test/exam anxiety
- Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-exam-pressure-a-guide-for-students
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
Childline is a free, private, and confidential service where you can talk about anything
- Exam stress and pressure: this webpage has helpful advice for how to deal with your exams being cancelled due to COVID
- Also contains general advice and tips on worrying about exams and coping with the pressure https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/school-college-and-work/school-college/exam-stress/
- Preparing for exams with tips for the day before and the day of the exam: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/school-college-and-work/school-college/preparing-exams/
- Homework and Revision techniques: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/school-college-and-work/school-college/homework-revision/
- Helpline: 0800 111
Student Minds is a mental health charity for university students but has helpful tips for managing exam stress that may apply to secondary school students as well
- Exam stress resources: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/examstress.html
Side by Side is a supportive online community where you can be yourself and talk to others about the problems you are facing
- This is a free service and all you have to do is sign up
- You can participate as much or as little as you want
- Link: https://sidebyside.mind.org.uk/
Kooth is a free, safe, and anonymous online support for young people
- Has a chatting support service open from Monday-Friday 12pm-10pm and Saturday- Sunday from 6pm-10pm
- Must make an account to access the website but the username can be anonymous
- Link: https://www.kooth.com/
Teen Mental Health offers advice around different practical strategies that can be helpful in keeping you healthy during exam time
- With helpful tips and tricks: http://teenmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Stress-Transitions.pdf
BBC Bitesize: offers different revision help and practice papers for all your subjects
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/levels/z98jmp3
Book: Starving the Exam Stress Gremlin: A therapy workbook on managing exam stress for young people by Kate Collins-Donnelly
Video: Exam Stress by the Anna Freud Centre
- About this video: Dr. Rina Bajaj, a counselling psychologists and schools engagement trainer speaks to you about what exam stress is, and how we cope with this stress
- Link: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=videos+on+exam+stress+for+young+people&docid=607992366456375052&mid=44C62823324F6961465B44C62823324F6961465B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
Video: Exam Survival tips by Bitesite BBC
- About this video: previous students that have already taken exams provide tips and advice on how to better prepare for exams and share what they wish they would have known before taking them
- Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zm3y7nb
Video: How to cope with Anxiety by ChildLine
- About this video: general information on anxiety, what it is, what causes it, and what to do to cope with anxiety
- Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvM_TtQi9DU Video: Coping with Exams by NHS
- About this video: useful advice from teenagers on how they prepared for exams, what helped and what didn’t
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-exam-stress/
NHS has a great website to help you help your child beat exam stress
- Provides helpful tips to help you spot the signs of stress in your child. This can be difficult for them to deal with especially around exam time.
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-exam-stress/
Young Minds has a parent helpline which is available to offer advice to all parents and carers who are worried about a child or young person under 25.
- You may have questions about a child’s behaviour, emotional wellbeing or mental health condition. You may already have a child admitted to CAMHS and have questions about their treatment or want to know what to say to your GP when you visit them
- Helpline: 0800-802-5544
- Supporting your child during exam time: provides parents with advice and information on where you can get help https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-exam-time/
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust provides teachers, pupils, and parents with emotionally healthy support and approaches to young people and their GSCE’s
- Support for parents: https://charliewaller.org/resources/an-emotionally-healthy-approach-to-gcses-a-guide-for-parents
Family Lives
- Exam Stress: supporting your teenagers through their exams –provides general information on how to help your child cope with the stress or exams as well as how to help them be prepared for them
- They also have a helpline for parents 0808 800 2222 opened 9am-9pm Monday to Friday and 10am-3pm from Saturday-Sunday
- They also have a live online chat open Monday to Friday 1:30pm-5:30pm
- Email: askus@familylives.org.uk
BBC-Bitesize: guides are written by teachers and subject teachers and offer helpful information and advice as well as study materials for secondary school pupils.
- Exam stress-how can parents help? Provides information on how stress can manifest in young people and what parents can do to help. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zckydxs
- Also contains a helpful video by Dr. Anna Colton who discusses pressure during the exam season and includes tips from others parents and students themselves.
Exam Stress-Roundup by Young Minds Parents Lounge
- About this video: Jo and Emma from the Young Minds Parent Helpline provide top tips for how you can help your child cope with the stress of exams.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_BCnGhZiAg
Exam Stress by Family Lives
- About this video: Helps you spot the signs of exam stress and gives you a few tips on how you can support your child during this time.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoNDwekadpw
Anna Freud Centre: Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured information, advice, and resources to help primary schools understand and promote children’s mental health and wellbeing.
- Academic and Exam Stress: gives information on stress, its effects on students, and what schools can do to support students
Gov.uk
- Resources to help with test anxiety: this is a collection of resources, links, and documents aimed at helping with the management of exam and assessment stress and anxiety
- Includes guides, blogs, and other documents
- Includes ways school staff can help students who are feeling anxious and advice for teachers on adapting the way they work to support students and reduce anxiety around exams
- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/resources-to-help-with-test-anxiety
Samaritans
- Developing Emotional Awareness and Listening (DEAL): free resource for teachers and other educational professionals designed to help develop resilience in young people.
- Includes lesson plans, activities, hand-outs, digital resources, teacher notes, and staff training materials
- Aims: raise awareness of emotional health and the importance of recognizing when you need help, develop positive coping strategies, reduce stigma, develop communication skills, develop help-seeking behaviours in young people
- More information on DEAL: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can- help/schools/deal/
- DEAL: Coping Strategies-Exam Stress https://www.samaritans.org/how-we- can-help/schools/deal/deal-resources/coping-strategies/exam-stress-coping- strategies/