The pressure of exams and the stress it causes children has been highlighted by Childline, who delivered over 3,000 counselling sessions on the subject in 2016/17. This is a rise of 11% over the previous two years. Children aged 12–15 were the most likely to seek help for exam stress, but there was a big rise (21%) amongst 16–18 year olds. Exam stress was reported as leading in some cases to depression and anxiety, panic attacks, low self-esteem, self-harming and suicidal thoughts, and worsening of pre-existing mental health conditions.
Rise in exam stress for children
