6
April 2016
We can all remember that sinking feeling of
turning over an exam paper and panicking
that we had revised the wrong topics. The
hours and days leading up to the exam
could be just as worrying as a series of
worst case scenarios played out in our
heads.
This feeling of dread is exponentially worse
for today’s children. Yes, exams were
important in our day, but there wasn’t the
surrounding hype that comes with the
exam results of today. Often teenagers
at selective schools seem to think that
the total judgement of their worth is the
string of letters that they are awarded on
a Thursday in late August – the fateful
Results Day.
No wonder teenagers feel pressure
However, pressure itself is not always
a bad thing. For many it is a spur that
they need: some pupils love the sense
of a deadline and the buzz of the exam
hall. Yet, for others it can be a crushing
expectation. The crucial thing is learning
to prepare for pressure, and to ensure that
pressure is a positive experience, a mode
in which an individual can flourish, rather
than something that is crippling. School,
parents, peer groups all have an important
part to play.
School
The role of the school is to ensure that a
child feels prepared. Students need to
know the curriculum, how to convey the
right information on the day and to be
familiar with the exam format. This is why
at Abingdon we have regular testing and
revision sessions, revision clinics, mocks,
formative and summative assessment,
and why we introduce the key ideas of the
exams early, rather than cramming it all
into the final moments.
In addition we have a Learning Support
Team who can step in to top up a pupil’s
learning skills and help them to find
the strategies to try to make their work
optimal. Knowing how to revise and what
type of learner you are is an invaluable life
skill, so it is something we ask the boys to
think and be self-analytical about.
But as ever at Abingdon, the Other Half is
crucial. Boys need perspective, and they
need to be able to compartmentalise their
studies. If work becomes all consuming,
then the pressure can be all consuming,
so boys should maintain a good balance
of social and Other Half commitments.
Exams do matter but they are only one
aspect of life and (so-called) soft skills
matter as much.
Parents
The role of parents is just as significant,
if not more so, than that of the school.
Your sons need to know that while exams
are important, their value in your eyes is
not dependent on their results. This is a
difficult balancing act.
Most parents want the best for their
children and for them to have the best
opportunities in life. Sometimes this
means that we scold our children, at other
times they need unadulterated praise.
All children are different and respond
differently to carrots or sticks.
However, if there were to be common
themes for almost all children it would
be these: they want to be listened to,
and to know that their parents are
interested in them; they need parents
to be realistic about their abilities and to
manage expectations, both the boy’s
own expectations, and the expectations
of his family; they need to be supported;
they need to know that parental love is
unconditional. There are times when we
may not like the actions of our son, but we
will always love him.
If a child is struggling, be prompt to step
in - offer an escape valve and talk both to
him and to school. Issues that are dealt
with early are much more easily deflated
than ones that have spawned a life of their
own over time.
As with our view of the Other Half, we
would encourage parents to see exams
as simply one piece of a complex jigsaw.
Abingdon
Pastoral
Under Pressure ... ?
Mark Hindley, Deputy Head (Pastoral) at Abingdon School talks about managing exam pressure.
