Pre-GCSE stress.... noone told me it would start in year 10!

[CharleyDavidson]

Poor DD. Predicted lots of As and A*s and, as a result, has the teachers (and herself) piling on the pressure to revise before her first set of exams.

She's a quiet, reserved thing. The sum of her social life is the time spent with friends at school or chatting walking home. When she's in, she's in her room doing homework and now revising. And doing extra work on top out of choice, always has, since y7.

Her outlet is listening to music and writing her stories, but the stress is definitely beginning to show.

How to support a child that's doing so well, yet suffering from the stress of everyone's expectations?

You need to timetable in activities so that she can't spend her whole time working - she will burn out way before June Y11.

Those activities don't have to be social, maybe watching a series on Netflix or going for a walk with music on (could you get her a Fitbit for motivation?). Getting out in the fresh air at weekends is good too.

She also needs a strict deadline at night at which point schoolwork stops. She needs a decent amount of sleep and some downtime before going to bed. No screens in the bedroom too.

I think you need to factor in some down time, or she will likely suffer from burn out. Take her out for lunch, go shopping. Try and get her to invite a friend round for a sleepover. Anything!

Sleepover a no go but making sure I drag her put for an hour or so each day at the weekends. Just been round the market town by us and she's happy to come out like that. Walk to visit grandparents tomorrow.

She has a tech off deadline of 8.30 pm and is good at sticking to it, she's never been a good sleeper though. No food allowed on rooms so she closes es down for dinner and for any snacks or drinks. She does revise in her room though as Dh constantly has the tv on downstairs and it distracts her.