A word from our CEO, Debbie Dugdall:
With exams looming next month, we know that many of our students are starting to feel the pressure. But exams needn’t be daunting if you are well prepared. Taking some time to reflect on what you wish to achieve and your aspirations beyond being here at college can be a strong motivational starting point.
To reach your goals, it is really important to attend college and to engage fully. For our outreach students this might mean showing up at the designated time, ready to learn. For our in-college students this means ensuring you coming in on all your designated days. Every lesson matters, as you need to cover all the areas of information which you will need to pass exams in your subjects. This kind of commitment also helps to keep you in the right frame of mind to succeed.
A structured revision plan is really helpful and many of you will have already been looking at this with your teachers. This doesn’t mean committing to a schedule of endless work – it means structuring times for revision alongside times for relaxation and rest. Good sleep hygiene is very important and it will help you to sleep and feel rested. We recommend avoiding screens for at least two hours before bedtime and trying to get to sleep before midnight (it is recommended to go to sleep between 10-11pm to ensure you have had enough sleep to thrive at college the following day). This will significantly improve your ability to remember the information you need in exams.
Exercise is also proven to be beneficial, as it improves mental wellbeing in addition to physical health. It can help you to feel more relaxed, and it doesn’t have to be complicated – or expensive. Walking in the fresh air and breathing deeply is really straightforward, costs nothing and will reduce your stress.
As you’ll know from some of your sessions at college, we value good nutrition at Breakthrough. Eating food that nourishes your body will actively improve your ability to remember things. Try avoiding food that is too processed and aim to include whole foods, such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, eggs, nuts, pulses and whole grain bread. A varied and nutritious diet will help to foster a healthy gut microbiome, which has benefits for overall health and cognition – all of which will enable your exam performance. This article has some useful advice – if you have sensory issues with food try to focus on what you can add in and improve rather than what you can’t.
We know that being well-prepared will make you feel less stressed. At Breakthrough, students have consistently achieved impressive examination results, enabling them to move forward with confidence on their chosen paths. We hope some of this advice will help you to follow in those footsteps. By embracing self-care, thorough preparation, and personal responsibility, you empower yourself to succeed and take control of your future.
