UK School Exams: Three things to never say to your kids this exam season

Three things to never say to you kids this exam season

Transcript

00:00Hello, my name is Amber Allett, and I'm a journalist specialising in education.

00:04This year's secondary school exam season is now in full swing,

00:08but this can be a very difficult time for young students,

00:11rife with stress and anxiety about not only how it'll go, but about what comes next.

00:17Parents will naturally want to help, but a career and education expert from Open College

00:22has shared with us some of the things that they might want to avoid saying,

00:26some of which can do more harm than good.

00:28Here are three of the top things that you probably shouldn't say to your young student.

00:35Number one is claiming that exams are easier these days than they used to be when you were young.

00:40Sure, you might feel like education has changed since your school days,

00:44or that having the internet and AI tools makes current exams easier.

00:48But your children don't know life without it, so not only is the comparison lost on them,

00:53but it'll simply make them feel like they're not good enough.

00:56Next is saying you expect them to get a certain grade, like a 7 in their GCSEs or an A-star.

01:03You might have a good understanding of your child's working level in a given subject,

01:07but this will just add to the stresses they're already feeling.

01:11Plus, so many different factors can end up impacting their final results.

01:15It might be better to ask which grades they'd be proud of instead.

01:18Finally, try to avoid the classic,

01:22don't worry, you'll be fine.

01:24It sounds like a simple phrase of encouragement,

01:27but it can come across the wrong way.

01:29If your child is feeling stressed,

01:31try to provide practical advice instead,

01:34like take a quick break and come back to it.

01:36This also helps avoid coming across as dismissive of their worries.

01:40It can come across asacting with your child'sipped if your child is full or not.

01:45Still make a probable achievement is that it's not something happened.

01:49We'll be fine with you at the beginning in my hearing and talking about it.