41… the amount of times GCSEs were mentioned today on my daughters first day back at school in year 11. (She sneaked my clicker this am and had it in her pocket as she had pre-empted GCSEs would be a hot topic.
In a 6.5 hour day that is an average of it being mentioned every 9 mins…
I love my daughters school … they do a brilliant job… this is not a criticism of them, I’m pretty sure any year 11 anywhere in the country had a similar experience.
My point…
She managed to find a light hearted side to this by clicking every time it was mentioned… BUT the pressure for schools to get results really does filter down through teachers and into the kids…
Whether you are top set, bottom set or somewhere between the impact of GCSES years on mental health at such a young age is immense.
She didn’t need reminding 41 times that GCSEs are coming, or that it’s gonna be a tough year, or that she needs to work hard or that GCSEs are important for her future life…
As a dyslexic who already overdelivers, masks and expects so much of herself she has enough of her own anxiety fuelling her to push herself forward …
As a parent my only expectation is that she is happy and tries her best… my job this year will be to absorb as much of this crazy GCSE pressure as possible.
Keep her and her teachers expectations realistic and aligned with each other… and make sure she doesn’t burn out!!!
Our current education drains our young people and generates poor mental health … would you agree?
