To nurture the skills of resilience is key to providing young people with the ability to cope with stress, adversity, failure and challenges. Resilience is evident when young people have a greater ability to “bounce back” when faced with difficulties and achieve positive outcomes.
Resilience empowers individuals to recognise the signs of exam stress and apply coping strategies to deal with it. If their results are disappointing resilience will allow them to look at their alternative options and different pathways.
It is normal for children and young people to feel a bit worried about exams, especially if they feel they are under pressure from school or family. Exam stress can cause an individual to feel anxious or depressed, and this might affect their sleeping or eating habits. It may also cause physical symptoms such as having headaches and stomach pains and feeling tired. Through general lessons about emotional health and coping strategies children and young people can develop their ability to recognise different kinds of stress for themselves and others and to build resilience, self-care and coping strategies.
By the end of primary school pupils should know
- That everyone experiences a range of emotions and that feelings can vary in different situations.
- How to recognise, understand, and talk about their own emotions and those of others.
- How to judge whether their feelings and behaviours are appropriate to a situation.
- The positive impact of physical activity, time outdoors, community involvement, and helping others on wellbeing.
- Simple self-care strategies, including rest, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying hobbies and interests.
- Where and how to seek help for themselves or others, including knowing which trusted adults and support services are available in school and elsewhere.
This knowledge helps pupils develop emotional awareness, resilience, and the confidence to access support when needed.
Source: Relationships Education RSE and Health Education (DfE) Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)
By the end of secondary school students should be able to
- how to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary.
- how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns.
- common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression).
- how to critically evaluate when something they do or are involved in has a positive or negative effect on their own or others’ mental health.
- the benefits and importance of physical exercise, time outdoors, community participation and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness
Source: Relationships Education RSE and Health Education (DfE) Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Local Support
Keep Your Head
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) Partners have refreshed the Keep Your Head website. It continues to provide a central hub of high quality information on mental health and mental health services. It also offers tailored and age-appropriate information for children and young people, adults, professionals and schools on a wide range of
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