Pupils struggling with exam stress helped by NHS teams
NHS teams have been offering support to pupils in almost 600 hundred colleges and sixth form centres struggling with their mental health around exam season.
The clinicians are helping pupils by offering one-to-one support, workshops, as well as training for teachers on how to support struggling students.
More than 250,000 students aged 16-18 have received help for a range of issues from anxiety or sleep difficulties which can be exacerbated by exams, with GCSE exams starting this week and A Level exams the week after.
Parents and carers also receive NHS support to ensure young people receive consistent support both in and out of school.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national mental health director, said: “Young people are facing more pressures than ever before; from social media to living through a once-in-a-generation pandemic.
“And we can really see that peaking at this time of year year, as exams season kicks off this week, but the NHS is here to help with hundreds of teams working in classrooms to offer specialist advice on how to manage stress and anxiety to hundreds of thousands of children taking exams.
“We know that adolescent is a crucial time of life with half of mental health disorders being present by the age of 14, so it is absolutely vital that our NHS teams are able to offer students easy access to support with the skills they learn helping them as they enter the workplace or head off to university.”
Latest News
10/03/2026 - 10:26
Education leaders will explore the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in schools at Education Business LIVE 2026, taking place on 26 March at Old Billingsgate.
10/03/2026 - 10:00
New research shows that teachers across the UK are increasingly working beyond their contracted hours, with workload cited by 83 per cent as the single biggest source of stress in the profession.
09/03/2026 - 10:29
The government has been urged to ensure every school can meet the needs of children and young people with acquired brain injury (ABI), following the publication of the government’s consultation on SEND reform.
06/03/2026 - 09:36
Measures mean schools stocking life-saving allergy pens, compulsory training for teachers, and a requirement for each school to have a dedicated allergy policy.
05/03/2026 - 10:13
A poll from the DfE's Teaching Vacancies service has shown that school culture and values (66%) are the single biggest factor teachers consider when choosing their next role - ahead of location (55%) and pay (47%).
