The 2025 11 plus grammar school entrance test season has started. This can be a time of stress, anxiety, and for the young pupils, a lot of pressure. For young students, these feelings may be new and can be overwhelming. The key is to manage it so it works for you, not against you.

A good place to start would be an easy win: Mind-set 

 ‘Master Your Mind-set’: Tame the Anxiety Monster

Your thoughts have a direct impact on how your body feels. Changing your mind-set is the first step to gaining control. Encourage learners to work on their mind-set. Pupils should try to re-frame “I can’t” to “I will try”. This alone can make a massive difference. 

Pupils may wish to practice positive self-talk; saying things like “I am prepared”, “I can handle this” and “It’s okay to find this tricky” can reduce the feeling of overwhelm. Also, when pupils feel panic rising, simply saying “this is stress. It’s a normal feeling. It will pass” can help to separate pupils from the emotion and make it less powerful.

And what about parents? How can parents help? 

  1. Normalise mistakes: Let children know it’s perfectly okay not to know everything. Frame mistakes as learning opportunities, not failures. In the words of Thomas Edison, he didn’t fail to make a lightbulb 99 times, he learned how not to make it 99 times. 

2.              Focus on effort, not outcome:  Praise the hard work—”I’m so proud of how focused you’ve been”—rather than just the potential grade goes a long way. This reduces the pressure to be perfect. 

3.              Fuel the brain and body: ‘You Are What You Eat (and Drink!)’. Provide nutritious meals. This is more of a reminder than exam advice.

4.              Water: Keep a water bottle handy. Dehydration is a common cause of fatigue, and fatigue can impede performance significantly.

5.              Snack: Swap sugary sweets and crisps for brain-boosting snacks like fruit, yoghurt, or oatcakes. They release energy slowly.

6.              Movement: Movement gets oxygen pumping to your brain and is a brilliant stress-buster. Even 10 minutes of exercise will help.

7.              Sleep: Ensure children are getting at least 8 hours of sleep

8.              Routine: Change can unsettle some children. Keep things consistent. Don’t try new foods or new activities. Keep things the same as they were. Anything new, exciting or unfamiliar can be done after the exams.

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