Bucks-based psychologist offers advice for parents of children taking SATS exams
She says good sleep and nutrition are vital.
Last updated 10th May 2023
SATS exams are underway for Year 6 children in Bucks, Beds and Herts, and across England, this week.
The results are used to measure school performance and make sure pupils have appropriate support as they move up to secondary school.
Clinical psychologist, Dr Lucy Russell from the independent Everlief clinic, in Buckinghamshire, told Greatest Hits Radio how parents can help children cope with exam pressure:
"I'm a mum of two teenagers and one of whom is doing her A Level mock exams at the moment, so this is very much a current topic in my mind as well.
"And so thinking about how parents can support children through their SATS exams, the first thing I would advise parents to do is to really focus heavily on lifestyle because it's such a huge factor in children being able to manage their emotions and manage their stress. So this week making sure that they have a very regular bedtime that they have what I call a pre-bedtime runway, which is where you spend the hour before bed, just really calming the senses. So turning volumes down, perhaps a warm bath.
"Everything helps the brain to understand that it's time to wind down and sleep.
"And also thinking about nutrition as well. That's really important. So for example, on the day of the test making sure your child has a protein breakfast, so something like beans on toast or I often do porridge with some almonds added because that's going to give slow release energy. That's going to help your child get through a longer period until they need to eat again, and it's going to help them manage their mood and manage their emotions. So if they start to feel anxious, their blood sugar is going to be more stable. So it's going to help them manage their emotions there.
"If your child is feeling anxious or stressed about the test, then you can teach them some basic grounding techniques and practice them with them. Ideally when they are feeling calm.
"So for example, you can teach them to do five very slow breaths, almost as imagining that their tummy is a balloon and they're breathing in for five seconds. So a real slow breath and imagining that they're filling up that that balloon in their tummy and then five seconds out very slowly as well.
"It's the opposite of the fight or flight response, so it it tells your child's brain everything safe. Everything's OK. You can calm down.
"They can focus, try and ground themselves in reality. So focusing on five things, they can see four things they can hear, three things they can touch and and so on. So basically using their senses to to come back to the the present moment and and rather than letting their thoughts kind of escape and and snowball into something really scary.
"I guess the the the other piece of it advice I would I would give parents is to just really help their child kind of contain that kind of catastrophic thinking that often children think, well, it's this will be terrible if I don't pass - and these terrible things will happen. And to really help them contain any stress and worry and not showing any stress and worry that you have yourself so really helping your child to get things into perspective that actually it kind of matters but you know in a year's time, the results of this test really won't matter."
You can read more of Dr Russell's tip for exam stress at hwww.theyarethefuture.co.uk/exam-confidence-motivational-quotes/ and www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/how-stressed-is-your-child/