A psychologist in Stamford is sharing how parents can support children on results day
Young people across Peterborough, Stamford and Rutland are getting their GCSE results today
A counsellor in Stamford says too many expectations for children around exam results can damage their mental health.
It comes as young people across the country will be opening their GCSE results today.
There's an expectation that comes from school, from parents and carers and even self
In 2024/25, Childline delivered 706 counselling sessions where the young person mentioned exam results worries.
The NSPCC found that monthly counselling sessions about exam result worries peaked in August with 134 counselling sessions.
This is when both GCSE and A Level results are given.
Julie Griffin, a young people’s psychologist and counsellor, said:
"There's an expectation that comes from school, from parents and carers and even self."
"If they're worrying constantly, it's going to impact their physical health, so it will affect their sleeping patterns, their appetite, their concentration and just their confidence as well."
"There needs to be a message saying it's okay if you don't do as well as you expect in the exams because the exam is just a small part of life."
"You will still move forward in life, and there will still be things out there for you to do."
"The biggest thing for parents is awareness."
"We can't change the way a young person feels; we have to adapt around them, so we have to give them a bit of space and just allow them to be a little bit out of character because it's all temporary."
You will still move forward in life, and there will still be things out there for you to do
A survey commissioned by the NSPCC found that 91% of secondary school teachers believe students overly worry their exam results will determine their future.
The survey also found that 51% of secondary school teachers think social media negatively influences how students feel about results day.