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HEADLINES 1st May 2026

By James Saunders

MENTAL HEALTH AND MOCKS

Happy Friday everyone. Over the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of supporting the C10s with their mock exams. I have been really impressed with their conduct, maturity and focus as they have entered their exams each day. Teachers will be using the data from these exams to inform their planning for the remainder of the Summer term and into September. They only have one year left until the real thing. Meanwhile, the C11 exam season officially kicks off next week. Whilst some practical assessments have already taken place, the exam timetable begins after the weekend.

The mocks are a good opportunity for a dry run through what will happen in a year’s time. To maintain the integrity of GCSE exams the exam boards have very strict measures on how exams should be administered and what is and is not allowed in the exam hall. The C10 mocks are a great opportunity to experience these measures. Unfortunately, a few learners have not met these measures during the mocks through carelessness. The final exams do not allow any leeway if mistakes are made and the consequences can be severe. It is important to remember that phones are not permitted in the exam hall - even if they are switched off and accidentally left in your pocket. No pieces of paper with any writing on them should be brought into the exam hall - even if they are nothing to do with the exam (a conduct card is a good example of this). Watches should also be removed too. Parents can help by reminding their child on the day of an exam. Thank you for your support with this.

Once the C11s leave us we will be using the mock data to organise additional support for C10s. C9s will then have a similar experience at the end of the term so that teachers can timetable them into curriculum pathways for September.

Wellbeing and mental health in schools is a hot topic right now. Supporting children to cope with a rapidly evolving world and the pressures of flux and change is a key part of education. Teachers too are not immune to these pressures and changes; they need just as much care and support to enable them to come to work and perform. One area that often gets overlooked is parents. As a parent myself I often experience my most heightened anxieties through worrying about my own children - they often make being a Headteacher seem pretty straightforward. I find that the pressures my children face, if left unchecked, can begin to cause me worry too. I am sure that I am not alone in this. It is this worry that then impacts my children morecreating more anxiety in them and a perpetual loop of “worriness”.

Being able to maintain a healthy wellbeing is also good for our children. Children are great sensorswe must be mindful of this. It is very easy to project our own anxieties onto them which in turn can have an impact on our and their own wellbeing. Stressed children create stressed parents which in turn create more stressed children. We are at a time of year when many young people, their teachers and their parents begin to feel anxiety. We need to all appreciate this and work together to support each other. It is really important that we are all mindful of how the little things can add to anxiety.

Not all anxiety is bad though. I don’t think there are many of us that don’t feel it the morning of a job interview or before something that has great meaning or is of high importance to us personally. I recall the anxiety I had when speaking at my fathers funeral. I am pleased to say that I got through it and that anxiety I felt helped me to cope with a stressful and emotionally draining situation and actually ended up getting me through it.

Our learners can often feel this at Honywood. Especially around exams, tests or assessments.

To support learners as we enter the exam season I would like to remind you that breakfast is available from 8am in the morning. I know that when I have skipped breakfast I don’t ever perform as well as I could. We hope that by ensuring our learners have had a good breakfast they will be at their optimum for their exams.

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend.

James Saunders