Top 10 tips to support your child through their exams

Preparing for and sitting exams can be very stressful for everyone in the family. As a parent you can really help your children through this time, just by being there for them and encouraging them to talk about their feelings and fears. Here are a few ideas to make exam time more bearable! Staying Calm, Feeling Good, Being Effective

How Can You Help Your Child and Prepare Them to Perform?

Every day you can support your child to make choices which can impact how they perform during the exam period 

1. Being a role model 
   
2. Help them set goals 
   
3. Keep them active 
   
4. Healthy eating 
   
5. Time out 
   
6. Sleep patterns 
   
7. Unplugging 
   
8. Staying cool & calm 
   
9. Belief
   
10. Be supportive 

Role Model

Set a good example by modelling the behaviour you want your child to adopt… 

• Planning for the week 
  
• Eating healthily and well 
  
• Keeping hydrated 
  
• Leading an active life 
  
• Staying calm 
  
• Being organised 
  
• Good sleep habits
  

Goal Setting

Encourage them to keep their goals planner visible – e.g. printed and displayed on their bedroom wall Help focus them and talk to them about their goals regularly 

Give positive reinforcement

Connect with them about ‘why’ and ‘what’ they want to achieve

Active

Encourage them to keep active on a daily basis 

Carry out exercise in manageable chunks e.g. 3 x 20 min sessions throughout the day 

Plan to do active things together on a weekend 

Go out for a walk together and get some fresh air 

Help them plan out their weekly exercise schedule in advance 

After exercise your brain functions well, so encourage a revision session afterwards 

Healthy Eating

Hydration is key to brain functioning so make sure your child carries a bottle of water with them 

Eating the right food and drink can energise your system, improve alertness and sustain your child through the long exams

Plan your family meals for the week – breakfast, snacks, lunches and evening meals 

Carry out a weekly food shop and make sure you write a list 

Avoid high sugary and fatty foods or drinks 

Aim to eat clean, fresh and healthy foods 

Have a couple or ‘treat’ meals / or meals out per week 

Use the Mark Lloyd recipes and meal planner as guidance 

Encourage them to eat breakfast everyday 

Time Out 

Encourage them to build in opportunities to take some time out every week, away from study. For example:

• Going out for food 
  
• Seeing friends 
  
• Having a bath 
  
• Listening to music 
  
• Reading a book 
  
• Doing a hobby 
  
• Going shopping 
  
• Going to the cinema
  

Sleep Patterns

Young people need between 8 – 9 hours sleep per night 

Help your child create a relaxing evening routine 

Make sure they don’t eat too late at night 

Avoid giving them caffeine or sugary drinks late at night 

Make sure they don’t work or revise too late before going to bed 

Encourage them to switch off from social media / technology at least an hour before bedtime 

Unplugging

Encourage them to unplug from technology everyday

Help them switch off from technology at least 30 mins- 1 hr before going to sleep 

Support your child to appreciate the world around them rather than being governed by their phone 

Make sure they put their phone away, & on silent, while they are concentrating on tasks / revision / homework 

Help them learn to have the control to not be obsessed with their phone 

Choose some time each day/week to switch off and unplug from technology with them

Staying Cool & Calm 

Set a good example by staying calm yourself 

Create a relaxing environment for your child 

Help them plan out coping strategies to deal with their stress 

Give them positive distractions away from studying 

Help them understand their stress & to focus on controlling the controllable

Promote a balance of their academic studies & other activities during the week 

Belief

Give them the belief in themselves to help them achieve 

Give them positive reinforcement 

Boost their confidence daily 

Celebrate any successes and reward them e.g. if they have achieved their mini-goals 

Try not to set your expectations too high 

Show them how proud of them you are 

Highlight things to make them feel good 

Be Supportive

Just be there for them

Be a good listener 

Be approachable 

Encourage them to take breaks in between revision 

Show some understanding of what they are going through 

Help them deal with their emotions & feelings 

Offer caring advice 

Exam Information

Please see below for information regarding our internal and external examinations here at Handsworth Grange Community Sports College. 

Exam Board Information/websites:

• AQA - www.aqa.org.uk
  
• Edexcel - www.edexcel.com
  
• OCR - www.ocr.org.uk
  
• WJEC - www.wjec.co.uk

Year 11 Intervention Timetable

We operate exams for all year groups in the same way in order to make every student clear about our expectations whether these are 'internal' or 'external' examinations.

Please find below a list of up to date information pages regarding examination procedures at Handsworth Grange Community Sports College: