Anxious time for pupils
“Many young people who said they felt overwhelmed and anxious.”
If your child has just received their A-Level result, or is about to discover their GCSE results, it will likely be an anxious time for them, and you.
Due to the unprecedented nature of this year, pupils haven’t been able to sit their exams naturally, each young person will have their own reaction to this, with more than 1,100 already contacting Childline to say they felt robbed of an opportunity, or were otherwise worried about their results.
We’ve heard from many young people who said they felt overwhelmed, anxious and stressed, depressed or unable to sleep because of the worry, and it’s important that adults are around to support young people who are getting their results.
The most important thing you can do is to remind your child they’re not alone.
There are lots of places to get advice and support, including Childline, where they can discuss their anxiety and look at potential next steps.
If you know someone who didn’t do as well as they’d hoped, reassure them the results won’t determine the rest of their life.
They can speak to a guidance counsellor or careers advisor about their options – whether that’s appealing, re-sitting, going to another university or college or changing to a similar course.
The important thing is that young people should talk to someone they trust about their concerns and get advice about what to do next.
Remember, your child may find it difficult to speak to you about their results.
All you can do is be patient and supportive until they’re ready to talk about their feelings.
Let them know it’s okay to take some time to think about what they want to do next, and if they’d rather talk to one of our speciallytrained counsellors, Childline is still here for children and young people on 0800 1111 or at www. childline.org.uk
Nina Bukowski. Childline Supervisor. NSPCC, Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH.