Schools’ work: Summer term and exam time

Dream

The dreaded exam season is nearly upon us. It can be a highly-pressured time for young people. One teenager I know recently said: “I’m either stressed about my exams, or I’m stressing about the fact I’m not stressed enough about my exams!”

It can be a time when students are so focused on revision and hitting their target grades that any thought of God or spirituality can be forced to take a back seat. You may find that numbers drop in your weekly clubs and youth groups as revision timetables take over. Those of you who regularly go into school may find that after Easter, year 11 and 13 students go on study leave and you never see them again! Are there things you could be doing differently in the summer term to continue supporting students?

And it’s not just teens who suffer with stress at this time of year - children in primary schools are taking SATs, or even negotiating entrance exams for secondary school. Summer term can be stressful all round, leaving children and young people overwhelmed and, if they have a faith, feeling far from God. So, in our role in schools, how can we help children and young people access a space which will help them escape the pressure, be mindful of how they are feeling and also to connect with God during exam season?

 

Develop

Are you willing to be flexible? School can look very different in exam season; just ploughing on with your regular programme probably will not work. Do you need to cut some things in the summer term? Or even scrap the weekly programme and aim to do some one-off events in school instead? Summer is a great time to get creative with your programme and it is also a great time to get creative with students! In the run-up to exams, lessons are very focused and revision can feel non-stop. Could you use your time in school to offer some much-needed light relief? We have found that students love the chance to unwind with games or crafts or something active during exam time. We have also found prayer to be a welcome oasis in the exam desert. Connecting with God can bring students much needed peace, calm, refreshment and perspective during the pressured exam season. Are there ways that you could introduce prayer to the school community?

For the last four years, I’ve been involved in running an exam prayer space in a school in Brighton and Hove. Taking some ideas from prayerspacesinschools.com as well as developing our own ideas, we set up interactive prayer zones in a classroom for students to connect with before or after exams. We try to make the room look as unlike a normal classroom as possible! We use lighting and fabric, music and cushions to transform the room so that students have a space in school where they can escape the pressures of school. We offer to pray for students as well as giving them space to connect with God themselves. Students can write their prayer requests and add them to a prayer box that we pray through daily.

Around the room, we set up three or four prayer activities which give students a chance to turn their worries, stresses, hopes and dreams to God in prayer. If you want to have a go at running an exam prayer space it would be worth contacting the national organisation who can put you in touch with people running prayer spaces in your area: prayerspacesinschools.com/contact-us.

 

Do

Here’s a couple of examples of prayer activities that would work really well during exam time. They could be part of an ongoing prayer room, a lunch club activity or part of a resources pack that you offer to staff to use during form time.

 

Secondary school ideas

These activities are written for secondary students, but could be adapted for use in primary schools.

 

Pop your stresses

You will need: ‘Pop your stresses’ sign; bubble wrap; post-it notes; written instructions; pens; table or wall space

Make a display of un-popped bubble wrap on a wall or table - use as much bubble wrap as you have room for! Invite students to write out the things they feel stressed about on post-it notes. They could just write an individual word (‘exams’!) or could write a prayer to God about the stresses they feel. Once they have named their stresses and had a chance to pray about them, students can spend time releasing stress by popping bubbles!

 

Be still

You will need: ‘Be still’ sign; cushions; beanbags; rugs; a pop-up tent; a calming focus; written instructions; printed Bible verses; background music

Set up an area where students can be still and quiet. Use the cushions, beanbags, rugs and even a tent to make the space comfortable and peaceful. If creating a semi-permanent space you could drape fabric from a hoop which hangs from the ceiling. Print out appropriate Bible passages and spread them around for students to read. Invite students to spend time thinking and praying if they wish. In a fast-paced and stressful term a few minutes in the ‘Be still’ zone can be a welcome chance to slow down.

 

Primary school ideas

For primary school children, summer term can bring the stress of changing classes and even changing schools, as well as any exams they may have to take.

 

Memory box

You will need: small boxes (plain boxes are available from craft shops and online); art and craft materials; sticky tape; glue; Bibles

Set out the boxes and the art and craft materials. Encourage children to choose a box to decorate. They can personalise it however they want, using the resources provided. They might want to put their name on it. Once they have finished, children can fill it with things that remind them of the class or school they’re moving on from. They might want to write prayers and place those inside the box too. Alternatively, children might want to use the box to help them during exam time. They can put in prayers, asking God to help them during exams, they might include Bible verses which help calm them down, or small items to hold or play with to still their mind.

 

Be still

You will need: post-it notes in different shapes and colours; felt-tip pens or pencils; a wall or display board

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective. Set out the post-it notes, pens and pencils in front of the wall or display board. The children can choose a post-it and write or draw something which reflects how they feel. This could be a fully formed prayer or just an emotion. It could be that the shape or colour of the post-it is enough for the child to express themselves. As they write or draw, and then stick their note to the wall, encourage them to pray, asking God to help them, or reflect on the feelings they have and be still. Who can they ask to help them? Be on hand to chat to any children who would like to talk.

Lizzi Demetriou is the schools and youth manager for Off The Fence in Hove.

Alex Taylor is resources editor of Premier Youth and Children’s Work.