Scottish Exam Results: Childline expecting surge in calls

As almost 140,000 pupils in Scotland prepare to receive their exam results, The Childline service says its preparing to offer support to pupils suffering from exam-related stress.

Specially-trained counsellors at Scotland’s two Childline bases in Glasgow and Aberdeen are expecting to speak to pupils by phone, email or through its one-to-one web chat service.

All candidates will receive their results in the post, but many will learn of their grades by text message or email if they have online accounts with exam body the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

Last year a record number of pupils from Scotland secured a university place on exams results day, with 28,300 confirming their position on the course they hoped for, but the charity is urging parents and teachers to remind children it is “not the end of the world” if they fail to earn the grades they were hoping for.

Joanna Barrett, policy manager at the charity NSPCC Scotland, which operates Childline, said:

“Children and young people can feel incredible pressure during the exam period and this can turn to extreme anxiety around results time, especially if their marks don’t match up to their expectations or hopes.

“We’ve heard from pupils who’ve had panic attacks and severe stress and fear over their exams and potentially not getting the right grades. This can lead to depression, excessive crying, low self-esteem or even suicidal thoughts.”