Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Supporting students around this time of year is essential for their continued growth and development. While some students may perform well academically, it's important to provide opportunities to foster a love of learning, and address any potential challenges they may face. Creating a culture of empathy and understanding is essential for the wellbeing of all students. Here are some strategies for parents to help provide emotional support during this time.

Promote a Growth Mindset

Emphasise the importance of continuous learning and the development of a growth mindset. Encourage students to view challenges as opportunities for growth and to seek out new challenges

Focus on efforts over results

For many teens, any disappointment about their results can also be mingled with a fear of disappointing their parents. Remind your child how proud you are of the hard work they’ve put in to complete this year. It’s been a long road, and end of year is demanding on even the most studious pupils.

Listen and empathise

For the first day or two, allow your child time process their results. Provide a sounding board if they want it, but give them their space. When your child is ready to speak, let them drive and initiate these conversations – there may be a lot of confusion and uncertainty with the outcome, especially if they didn’t quite achieve what they were hoping for.

Allow them to feel what they’re feeling

If your child has met or exceeded their own expectations, take time to simply celebrate with them before moving on to talk of future plans. If not, it’s crucial to try to avoid making negative comments about what they could have done differently, or dismissing their feelings prematurely with well-meaning ‘look on the bright side’ sentiment. Rather, acknowledge their feelings and tell your child how proud you are of the effort that’s led to this point.

A sense of perspective

Keeping a sense of perspective is essential to success. The key is to consider the big picture as well as the small details. Keeping the end goal in mind will help students to stay motivated if their results weren’t what they were hoping for, while concentrating on the next steps helps maintain focus.

Don’t do it alone

The more students isolate themselves, the more likely they are to brood over bad decisions. This leads to an increase in stress and frustration, but students who surround themselves with good people and ask for help are better equipped to handle stressful situations.

Teenagers often see asking for help as a sign of weakness but encouraging students to use the support available may help them see things from another perspective, and make more informed decisions at a crucial junction in their life.

Suzanne Pola

College Leader Student Wellbeing