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Original poster

Y11 ongoing anxiety and coping with exams

31 replies

notanothercheesesandwich · 27/10/2021 18:36

Does anyone else's DC have anxiety issues and what are school doing to help them cope? My DD has missed lots of Y10 lessons as she can't even get into the classroom. Summer term mocks were a disaster as they made no special provision for her and when she saw she was in a hall with 200 others she ran away - so they excluded her for 2 days. After that she did do a couple in a small room setting or adjoining office which helped. School have said the SENDco is due to go on some training for anxiety management but it isn't until after the mocks! I can't believe this is a new or rare problem though (even if she is a bit more extreme than most), so interested in any experiences or techniques you might have.

OP posts:
WhoisRebecca · 27/10/2021 21:02

Go to the GP and say she’s been struggling with anxiety around exams and ask for a letter recommending a separate room and rest breaks. There may be a charge for the letter.

Without this, school may not allow it. My Dd was under CAMHS, had history of running away at school, had taken overdoses and they still tried to refuse the separate room, until she burst into tears at the door of the exam hall.

Original poster
notanothercheesesandwich · 27/10/2021 20:52

Thank you for your replies. No official diagnosis as 6 Camhs rejections, even after pediatrician refered to psychologist which then got turned into a camhs referral. Undiagnosed tourettes as Camhs would do the diagnosing. On the ASD assessment pathway but nowhere near assessment, and most professionals have said they don't think it is. Had Ed Psych through s hook in May but quite a wooly report with not much help. It has been gradually getting worse over 5 years. Found out she was put on the SEN register 2 years ago so school have had plenty of time to come up with an action plan. I don't even know what I should be asking for.

OP posts:
madisonbridges · 27/10/2021 19:41

I used to invigilate exams. Very common to have a group of girls in a room with different issues. However, it's expensive to do it that way and difficult to room so I think the schools like to get evidence of the problem to save possible costs. Often the exams office request extra time or rest periods for the students, but this has to be applied for in advance from the exam board and it needs to be supported with evidence. You need to approach the school to request a separate or small room.

WhoisRebecca · 27/10/2021 19:30

Dd gets a separate room and rest breaks now, but I had to get a GP letter to say it would be beneficial.

TeenMinusTests · 27/10/2021 19:29

Sorry, just saw she is missing lessons too, so not just around exams.

Can your DD verbalise what it is she is anxious about?

DD missed all y11, but is (just about) managing college. One of the things is she was able to choose where she sits in the classroom - for her it is somewhere she can see the teacher well, but that has a good 'escape route' out of class. She would prefer not to have anyone directly behind her or next to her, but it isn't always possible. (Germ related anxiety).

TeenMinusTests · 27/10/2021 19:27

Has she seen the GP, and is she getting any help?
School may be unable to provide small rooms without that because it opens a door to other to say they have anxiety issues when they are just a bit anxious. (That's what DD's old school & new college say).

There are Apps that can help (though my DD didn't get on with them).
She has got on well with

  • slow steady breathing
  • 54321 technique for grounding (5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, ...)
  • alphabet listing (eg animals or countries)

I think yoga might help too, and knowing they have revised properly, and not talking to others before or after exams.

It depends whether her anxiety is just around exams or is more debilitating.