More young people across South Yorkshire 'concerned' about their exams getting cancelled this year
New figures show that the number of counselling sessions in relation to exam stress for young people has nearly doubled across the country in 2021
With students in South Yorkshire receiving their A-Level results today, the NSPCC reckon more teenagers have been struggling to cope with the stress of their studies this year.
It's led to Childline delivering over 1,800 counselling sessions to young people over their concerns about exams being cancelled between April and June in 2021.
That's more than double the amount from the same time period in 2020 (861).
Wendy Robinson, Service Head of Childline, said: "At Childline we know that results day and the period running up to it can be a really challenging time.
“The impact of the pandemic has made this even more difficult – and young people have told our Childline counsellors they are understandably feeling anxious and stressed.
“The last year has been incredibly tough for young people with school closures, exam cancellations and changes to the assessment process – so it is vital that they are supported and listened to.
“Young people have told us they’re concerned that they may get lower grades than if they’d been able to sit their exams, or that their results are out of their control - whereas others are concerned that they won’t get the results they need for their future.
“Some also said they struggled to prepare and do the work they were being graded on due to having so much time out of school because of restrictions.
“If any young person is feeling apprehensive and worried about their results, I’d urge them to talk to someone about it.
“And if they don’t get the results they need, there are options they can take and there are trusted adults that they can turn to for help and support. This could be a teacher, careers advisor, parent, carer or Childline.
“Our counsellors are always here to talk to young people whether that be on the phone or online.
“The conversation will be completely confidential and no worry is ever too small. If it matters to a young person, it’s important to Childline.”
A girl aged 17 who got in touch with Childline said:” My mental health plummeted since A levels started last year. I really struggled through the lockdowns and I’ve been really struggling with school. I am in my last year of sixth form and am not motivated. I can’t even get myself to revise for exams without crying. I just feel so lost right now, I wish there was something that could be done to make this easier for me. I feel bad saying that I want them to mark my coursework less strictly or something along those lines but I wish that they’d consider how unwell I’ve been mentally and how that has affected my performance.”
A boy aged 18 said: “I am feeling depressed and sad about potentially not getting the grades I need to get into the course I want to do at University. I feel sure I won’t get what I need and my parents will be disappointed. I am worried about having to re-sit exams or redo the year and how this will impact my life. I used to get good grades but have been hindered this past year by COVID because I have found it hard to work and revise.”
Advice:
-For young people who may not achieved the results they wanted:
• Ask a teacher, careers advisor or any adult you trust what they think and discuss your options and how you are feeling.
• Remind yourself of what you did well in whether that be specific pieces of coursework, or other parts of your life.
• Don’t compare yourself to your friends.
• If you do not feel your grade reflects your ability speak to your school about making an appeal. This doesn’t always mean you’ll get a better grade but it can help if you think things would have been different had you sat the exam.
• Look at other courses or training programmes and apprenticeships that you can do.
• If you haven’t got a place at your chosen university, try not to worry as there is a chance you could get a place at another university through the clearing process.
• Take a gap year and do something different like volunteering.
• Look at different courses that you can do with the grades you have achieved.
-For parents and carers:
• Your child may find it hard to talk to you about their results so be patient and supportive until they feel ready to talk about how they feel.
• Encourage your child to take their time to think about what they want to do next. There’s no need to rush into a decision straightaway.
• Help them think about their choices by writing down a list of pros and cons for each of their options