too many GCSEs for too long

I think the pressures were different 30 years ago. I did 8 o levels and 9 or 10 exams. I think I got a lot of my revision done in the days between my exams.

DD is doing 9 GCSEs (did 2 last year) and has about 20 exams, including 4 for history and 4 for Latin. It is just relentless.

I think part of the problem for my conscientious DD is that her school did not give them study leave. Up until half term she was expected to be in lessons when she wasn't in exams, and really she just wanted to be home revising. They were told that anyone missing school would be excluded from the prom.

Now presumably this strategy is going to help the school get some borderline C/D kids through their exams and improve the stats, but it is a nightmare for perfectionist kids chasing a full hand of As and A*s.

I know three parents whose children have just dropped out of school. One is so anxious, he's just been diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. He was destroyed by a teacher in our local primary school and has struggle since early days in secondary. He's now being tutored at home. A second has just stopped attending due to depression and severe anxiety resulting in panic attacks and fainting. A third hasn't completely ducked out, but has periods where she doesn't attend. I feel lucky that my dd just feels anxious and inadequate, but manages to turn up every day for school. Mind you, it's only year 9 and she's got 1 GCSE and 2 short course GCSEs this year. Next year's similar. God help us in Year 11.

The number of times I've told her to talk to someone at school and she's told me there is no-one. I've said of course there is, but guess what? There isn't. The main SENCO woman left and the vacancy hasn't been filled. CAMHs is used for those children who affect the attendance figures. If you can turn up, you're clearly mentally o.k.

As My Chemical Romance would say 'Trust me. I'm not o.k.'.

Many years ago when I was working in SEN the Warnock Report suggested that 20% of children, at any given time, could have special needs. This took into account stress at exam time and the fact that children can develop a need, but not have an obvious problem before. Children being stressed over a divorce would be a other case. I think it is grossly unfair for schools to pile on the pressure for exam success when lots of children do this themselves.

Parents are also at fault for agreeing to children doing more than 10 GCSEs. It is not necessary - ever! So why does anyone do it? Say "No" to any child or school that suggests it. The schools are only concerned with Best 8 anyway! Although English and Maths are obviously important, it is a waste of time to load a young person up with subjects they do not need, only for additional stress at exam time. Up thread, a list of academic exams included Media - why was this necessary? The exams without this were more than enough.

I think lots of young people will find the pressure of A levels and degrees too challenging. Never mind applying for jobs. A sensible approach to exams really is required or the future is just fraught with angst and stress.

The kids in my class are being medicated for depression and anxiety. I don't know what the criteria are, but if it's higher in other areas then that's appalling as these kids do not have minor issues.

We have a counsellor in school one day each week. She absolutely does not have enough time to see everyone - the SENCO sorts out appointments based on need at that particular time. It's a disgrace that provision is so lacking.

4 of my yr 11 class (of 23) are under CAMHS.

Where we live, the criteria for CAMHS is set so high, the numbers people are talking about here just couldn't happen.
CAMHS must be FAR better funded in your areas.

The latest WHO survey suggests that up to 20% of 15-16 year olds have self-harmed.

I hold the government responsible rather than individual schools because the gover meant initiated the vicious cycle these students are now stuck in. Schools live or die by league tables and OFSTED judgements, which are based, to a large extent (or completely, in the case of league tables) on GCSE results. Other measures - 5 A*-C inc English & Maths, EBacc, Progress 8 etc are all about results. Schools under pressure inevitably leads to students under pressure. Teachers' pay is based on results. It's too much of a risk to say to the kids "just get on with it - off you go" I can't guarantee that those kids in my yr 11 classes who have chaotic homes or parents who would see them off school and therefore use them as childcare or whatever will get any work done. Then there's the lazy kids, the ones who don't get it, the ones who need academic support, the ones who need help with organisation, the bright ones who need support with exam stress. Schools did not create this situation - the government did. Until league tables are abolished, nothing will change. School funding is dependent on student numbers, parents look at league tables, league tables report results.

In my school, GCSE routine includes providing breakfast and the attendance officer making calls to kids who haven't turned up. Those whose experiences are limited to independent schools need to realise that not all schools are the same and therefore chucking them out on study leave at the beginning of May is not always an appropriate option.

Children and Adolescents Mental Health Support.

yes it does change it. in dd's class there is dd, a self harmer, a depressed person, and someone with ocd.

age 13

Excuse my ignorance, I don't know what CAMHS is, but sounds like MH support for school children? Are we really saying it's "normal" for 10% ish of a cohort to need such support?

Yes, some shocking stuff about the lack of support from CAMHS, though it's been that way for years - not that that helps. Yes, if it includes Y10 then that would be about the same incidence that noblegiraffe mentions. Still awful for those concerned but not as off the scale as I thought it might be when you said 45.

my dd has a tutor group of 28, and there are 4 with Camhs, well waiting i should say.

I'm not saying it's definitely 45, but given the post, it's more likely to be what was meant than 4-5, which would be exceptionally low.

yes 45, i was speaking to student support and the year group is about 250 pupils. She may have included year 10 with that, so that would bring it down a bit i guess.

Most of them like my dd are probably still fucking waiting for help.

All tier 2 support has been taken out of Camhs in my area, and it's up to the schools to support them. Try convincing Camhs that your dc is above tier 2, whislt they fade away. Home edding is looking viable to me.

But noblegiraffe wouldn't your level of incidence imply the cohort at the school in question is 450? And no school in the country has cohorts of 450. It would amount to an epidemic - it's so far beyond even the alarming current rates that the authorities would or should be rushing in.

There's 3 in my class of 30 so I suspect it's more like 45 than 4-5.

Yes, I've spent the weekend helping DS1 with his German revision (for yr9 tests)

I reckon I could now get full marks, despite not knowing a word of German 2 days ago. He has 8 questions to prepare answers for, parrot fashion. The same questions are used for the speaking and listening and the writing tests. We're hoping for a top 6 or maybe a 7

That said, I got a B in O-level French but there was no way anyone could have said I "spoke" French, even then.

Also, sorry about your DD :(

imjustahead 4 to 5 or 45? If the latter, that's crazy. And are you quite sure? How big is the cohort? I'm hoping you mean the former though, not the latter. 45 would be right off the scale, and therefore incredibly worrying.

dollybird you're right about MFL but it's been in crisis for a number of years and needs a massive overhaul coupled with a bit of renewed respect for the value of learning languages other than English. I'm not sure you can generalise about relative difficulty using MFL as typical.

I've forgotten when mine started study leave for GCSEs (even though DC7's were only last year!) but I think from the day of their first exam. They have the option of going in if they want to and teachers are on hand to help if help is wanted but it's far more relaxed for the DC if they're not up early to get into school and can just do their own thing.

my dd isn't even in yr 9 yet, and has been off school with severe anxiety for months. School work hasn't caused this, yet i fear the way in which the pressure to come will affect her.

I know that in dd's school there are 45 pupils in yr 11 referred to Camhs at the present time.

My DC's are in year 7 and 8 and their school have said that they will be focusing on fewer good quality GCSE's rather than getting as many as possible, which I'm pleased about. I don't know yet how many exams they will take, but DS has already taken 3 French exams as he is in the fast-tracked set. It seemed to me that his speaking exam was about learning the questions they were going to be asked and their answers, whereas when I did it, we had an idea of the sort of questions we'd be asked, but it was just a free-flowing conversation, no memorising involved.