Increase in pupils turning to childline over exam concerns

Childline has reported a fifty per cent rise in the amount of counselling sessions it has delivered over exam results in the last four years.

A fifth of counselling sessions took place in August, when young people receive their A-Level and GCSE results.

Calls range from worries about whether they will get the grades they need to get into university and not wanting to let down their teachers and parents. Children and teenagers also told counsellors they felt worked up and on edge, with some saying they were not able to sleep because of the stress of getting results.

Dame Esther Rantzen, founder and president of Childline said:  "I am sure we all felt nervous at exam time, but the possibility of failure has taken on a greater importance than ever before, and is deeply worrying our children.

"We all have different strengths and qualities that make us who we are. Childline is there for them if they don’t know who else they can talk to. If it matters to you then it matters to us."

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