THE NSPCC in Northern Ireland has urged students worried about exam results to reach out and ask for help.
With AS and A-Level results due tomorrow and GCSE results due Thursday, the charity has said it vital young people get the support they need.
Mairead Monds, Childline service manager with NSPCC Northern Ireland, said:
“The impact of the pandemic has made this even more difficult – and young people have told our Childline counsellors they are understandably feeling anxious and stressed.
“The last year has been incredibly tough for young people with school closures, exam cancellations and changes to the assessment process – so it is vital that they are supported and listened to.
“Young people have told us they’re concerned that they may get lower grades than if they’d been able to sit their exams, or that their results are out of their control," she said.
“Some also said they struggled to prepare and do the work they were being graded on due to having so much time out of school because of restrictions."
Figures released by the charity show that 1,812 counselling sessions were delivered to young people across Britain and the north between April and June.
The charity revealed that this figure was more than double that for the same period last year, when its volunteers delivered 861 sessions.
The charity also revealed that in more than 40 per cent of these sessions, a young person also spoke about their mental and emotional health or self-harm.
The vast majority of sessions were delivered to boys.
“If any young person is feeling apprehensive and worried about their results, I’d urge them to talk to someone about it.
“And if they don’t get the results they need, there are options they can take and there are trusted adults that they can turn to for help and support. This could be a teacher, careers advisor, parent, carer or Childline.
“Our counsellors are always here to talk to young people whether that be on the phone or online.
“The conversation will be completely confidential and no worry is ever too small. If it matters to a young person, it’s important to Childline.”
