School students 'increasingly seeking counselling due to exam results stress'

A new report has demonstrated that school pupils are increasingly looking for support due to the extreme stress they are experiencing because of exam results.

Data from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) Childline service has revealed that the last two years have seen a 21 per cent rise in Childline counselling sessions with young people who are worried about their exam scores.

Overall, a total of 1,133 counselling sessions were recorded for young people concerned about exam results in 2016-17, with more than one-quarter of all sessions taking place in August, when GCSE and A-level results are published.

The rise was particularly pronounced among 16 to 18 year olds, with the number of Childline counselling sessions rising by 68 per cent in this age group over the last two years.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "We'd encourage young people not to be disheartened if they don't get the results they hoped for. It's important they remember that they have options and that talking to a friend or trusted adult can really help them see this clearly."

As a result of this trend, the charity is calling on parents, teachers and adults in positions of responsibility to make sure that students suffering with exam stress are supported in the right way.

This includes not putting undue pressure on students to achieve certain grades, to make themselves available to talk and offer advice, and to take the time to sit down with students and go over their options and potential future pathways, based on the results they were able to achieve.