How to support your pupils' mental health this exam season

Take practical steps in school

Direct pupils to resources that can help them

Make pupils aware of independent sources of support and advice. Share these links and add them to your website, to equip pupils to use smart exam strategies, manage stress and make good lifestyle choices during the exam period:

• Exam stress and pressure, Childline
• Exam stress, BBC Advice
• Exam stress, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
• Exam stress, Student Minds

Break exam/revision workload into manageable chunks

Work with pupils to do this, or model how to create a plan independently. Encourage pupils to set aside some dedicated time for relaxing too.

Provide a calm space

Allocate a room in school that pupils can use to relax during exam periods.

Tell students where stress comes from

Put aside an assembly or personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education session to go into more detail about managing stress.

Talk about stress as a physical symptom - this normalises it, which can make it feel less overwhelming. Explain that when stress reaches a certain intensity, it can lead to heightened physical and psychological awareness. This normally enables us to perform well under pressure, but it can overreact or fail to reset properly and this can make us feel nervous.

Be a good example

Talk openly about how you cope with your own stressful situations, so pupils have a positive role model for managing their emotions and time. This might include having a relaxing bath, or writing a week-by-week plan to manage your workload.

Look at what other schools do

The Key’s 2017 State of Education survey, completed by more than 1,000 of our school leader members, found that schools are:

• Running revision groups during assessment periods
• Organising peer-mentoring activities
• Nominating staff as mentors to support pupils
• Offering counselling services

Help pupils unwind after exams

• For primary school pupils, run wind-down activities such as art or sport
• With older pupils, discourage them from discussing questions in great detail

Teach relaxation techniques

Breathing exercise

Guide students through slow, deep breathing.  You can count out loud to guide the speed of their breathing. The in-breath should be shorter than the out-breath; try counting in for 3 and out for 5. This often works best in groups rather than as a whole class.

Guided imagery

Ask pupils to close their eyes and think about a safe place they have been where they have felt totally relaxed. Tell them to identify details about what the place looks and feels like, and focus on these, while breathing calmly. This practice is sometimes used as part of mindfulness.

Support parents

Provide wellbeing guidance

When a parent is anxious about their child's exams, the child is more likely to become stressed. Run a workshop, or update your school website or newsletter, to include guidance for parents on:

• Talking about exams – what to say, and what not to say, when talking to their child
• Lifestyle tips – you could cover tips about the right approach to diet, exercise and sleep
• Keeping home life calm – managing sibling behaviour is a common issue
• Maintaining wellbeing during times of stress – this could be delivered by someone with training in psychology

You could also consider setting up a peer-mentoring group for parents, or a school helpline, to help with implementing these strategies.

The NHS has published information for parents on supporting their child during exams, which you could use in your workshop, or refer parents to. This also includes information about when anxiety reaches the level where parents should take their child to a GP.

Members of The Key for School Leaders can access a range of resources on pupil wellbeing and a vast range of other subjects at www.thekeysupport.com/SL