Star comment: R&R vital in build-up to GCSEs
In Britain's schools, everybody is doing their best for the pupils.
Teachers are striving to make them the best that they can be. Politicians in modern times have been very keen to put their oar in, making demands on the teachers, and expecting to see good results, in every sense.
Parents want to be assured that their children are being given a good education.
And the pupils? They have the weight of expectation on their shoulders. As they sit down for their exams, there is an invisible army willing them to succeed. It is not just their own future which depends on doing well, but potentially the future of their school - as what parent would want to send their child to a "failing" school?
So the pressure is on and Britain's schools are these days hothouses of learning, with stress piling up on pupils, teachers, and parents.
A desire to do well in exams is healthy. Exam nerves are natural. But there is evidence that a relentless cranking up of the pressure during the revision process, be it self-imposed, or through the expectations of teachers and the ambitions of parents, is having an effect on the lives of some children.
According to Childline, there has been a significant rise in calls from children worried about their GCSE and A-level exams.
There again, in recent years exam passes have been at or near record levels, so on the face of it the system appears to be delivering results.
Is not the whole point of schools to give them a good education, and with that the maximum opportunities in life?
There is an added complication that some of the new-style exams are so new that teachers are still feeling their way, and have nothing much to go on.
With the countdown now under way for GCSE and A-level exams, many pupils in Shropshire and Mid Wales will already be studying hard.
Teachers want to stretch them, as that is the way to reach their full potential.
However, looking at it from the pupils' point of view, being stretched is not very comfortable. And the more you stretch something, the more you risk it snapping.
So there is a balance to be struck, and teachers and parents need to be watchful that the youngsters are not overdoing it. Where the limit lies will vary from pupil to pupil.
There are not many children who enjoy the exams process, and nothing will change that. Revision is an important part of exam preparation. But so is knowing when to take a break.
