The anticipated wait for exam results are over, however the results may have not been what some young people would have wanted, expected or needed to continue to further education. Some young people may have set such high expectations for themselves that even good results may not seem good enough for themselves or even their parents.

Over the last few months, young people have stressed over revision and on-going exams and further upset has appeared to continue due to the exam results they have received. The NSPCC stated there has been a 21% rise in children contacting ChildLine in need of counselling sessions about their exam results. Overall, there were 1,133 counselling sessions for young people concerns about their results in 2016/2017.

Children must not be disheartened if they do not receive the results they hoped for. They must appreciate the hard work they have put in over the last few months and understand that there are always options if they did not receive the results they needed. It is therefore important for parents and carers to be positive, supportive and not to encourage disappointment or a sense of failure.

Many young people may worry about telling their parents or carers about their exams results, as they are worried about how they might react. They might have felt pressured to achieve top grades and that failing to do so might let down their parents. As a result, parents need to be a strong support network to their children. Not only to listen to how they feel but to also help them with the different options for college or university.

Continuing to further education for any child may be daunting, however it should be an exciting next step in their education and personal development. Support your child in any way possible to enable them to feel happy and confident to progress.
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