Parents need more help to manage stress during exams, for all our sakes

However, no one talks about Mum and Dad, even though they're struggling as well, sometimes even more than their children are. Research conducted by MyEdSpace, the online learning platform, has found that as many as one in four parents suffer from regular sleepless nights during exam season.

The problem is that no one talks about it. As a result, it goes unresolved and inevitably finds its way to children and to teachers. When I worked in mainstream education, I would often get asked by stressed parents to run extra revision sessions over the holidays.

This wasn't something I was in a position to do, as I would already be burned out from constantly working weekends throughout the year. For me, a holiday over Easter was essential so I could give my students my all during term time.

Every year, without fail, I'd get told by some parents that I was being lazy and unsupportive when I explained this to them. It's sad but not surprising - our research found 45 per cent of parents are actually more stressed about exams than their children. This stat shows unsustainable levels of stress are far too common among parents. It also means that even though the vast majority of Mums and Dads are perfectly pleasant, teachers are almost guaranteed to encounter parents who try to use them as outlets for this stress.

This ultimately factored into my decision to leave traditional schools to teach live-streamed online lessons at MyEdSpace instead, even if it was only a minority of parents who did so. It wasn't the only reason that I left, but it wasn't a reason to stay, which is worrying at a time when nearly a third of teachers leave the profession within the first five years.

This is not to say that parents are causing the teacher shortage crisis. Rather, we need to give parents more support and encourage them to stop relegating their own mental health needs during the exam period, as it will relieve pressure on them as well as teachers.

Clare Martin, psychologist and founder of Goldcrest Training, says that when parents haven't slept well or eaten properly, their window of tolerance narrows, making them less able to cope with challenges and more likely to pass on their stress to those around them.

Fortunately, there are several easy steps parents can take to deal with this. Focusing on the basics like sleep, nutrition, hydration and exercise, as well as maintaining a healthy social life, allows parents to look after the mental wellbeing of themselves and their children more effectively.

Creating spaces for connection with their children over exams goes a long way as well, for example, through something as simple as starting a new TV series or going on walks. This helps parents and children alike switch off and bond, improving their mental health.

We don't talk enough about how much parents struggle during exams, and it leads to everyone in the education system suffering.

It's time for everyone to give more support to parents. GCSEs and A-Levels are stressful, but they should not negatively impact mental health. This should be just as true for mums and dads as it is for everyone else.

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Alex Sarychkin is Assistant Head of English at MyEdSpace.

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