With the exams starting next week, we have been supporting the students in Year 11 by giving them strategies to use when feeling stressed and anxious.

On Friday last week, Mrs Ash, Head of Standards, Safeguarding and SEND, delivered an assembly to reassure the students that their feelings were normal and are a sign that they care about this important milestone.

One technique used by the RAF to relieve stress in high pressure situations is the technique called ‘box breathing’. This involves:

• breathing in slowly for a count of four
• holding the breath for a count of four
• exhaling slowly for a count of four
• holding the breath for a count of four

Completing this technique 3 or 4 times creates more oxygen in the brain, reigniting logical thinking and relieving stress and panic. This is a technique that can be used every day to help relax but also in the middle of an exam –  for example when your mind goes blank in an exam due to a difficult question and you cannot recall your revision!

Mrs Matedies, Counsellor and Pastoral Support, then visited Year 11 Going for Great lessons to teach them the ‘Emotional Freedom Technique’ (EFT) also known as tapping. EFT is a technique that stimulates acupressure points by pressuring, tapping or rubbing while focusing on situations that are causing worry or distress. Again, it is a technique that can be used daily to relax and relieve daily stress but also discreetly in an exam.