Top Portsmouth headteacher Simon Graham's advice for GCSE results day stress

Simon Graham, headteacher at St Edmund’s Catholic School – the city’s top performing state school for the last three years - has told youngsters ‘not to panic’ if they don’t get the results they hoped for and ‘not to compare yourself to others’.

In what is always a nerve-wracking occasion for children and schools, Mr Graham has spoken to The News about his top tips to tackle the stress of results day and how to deal with any disappointments.

Simon said:

NOT LIFE DEFINING

1 ‘First of all, whilst exam results are important, it is important that young people realise it is not make or break for their life chances. It is not the be all and end all but a reflection of how they have performed over a set period of time. It is not life defining as young people will have other opportunities to showcase their talents in the future.’

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS

2 ‘Don’t compare yourself to other people. Look at how you have performed in relation to your own targets to assess how you have done.’

RE-MARKS

3 ‘If you have not got the results you hoped for then see how far you are away from the grade boundaries and consider asking for a remark. Marks can sometimes be changed. Last year we had a student in a subject who we expected to get a nine and ended up with a six. We thought there was no way they could have fallen this far and so we put in for a remark and the result was changed.’

COMMUNICATE

4 ‘It is important for students to keep their results slips and to take them into school or college if they are going to challenge any results. Speak to teachers to get advice on what to do next, particularly in relation to resitting examinations or appealing results.’